Throughout a person’s life, they encounter many people that have an influence on their life. In a lot of those cases, one of the impactful people is a teacher. That holds true for Mandy Fields, who is now a teacher herself.

“There are so many educators that played a big role in my life,” Fields stated. “My eighth grade teacher, Mr. Frazier, developed my love of English, my third grade teacher, Mrs. Holland, taught me so many mnemonic devices that I still use today, and my college English professor, Dr. Hill, gave me a ton of ideas and really encouraged me to continue working hard. However, my biggest inspiration was not from a teacher that I personally had in school, but from my older sister, Karla Streeter. She was in her thirties and I was in high school when she went back to college to become a teacher. I saw her love for teaching, and when I decided to go back to school, I knew I wanted to be a teacher, too. I have always admired her. She has an incredible ability to empathize with people, and when I grow up, I want to be just like her.”

Mandy teaches at the Wildcat Academy, the alternative school for Ponca City High School. She says that she is proud to be a part of that program.

“When people hear that I work at the alternative school, they always think that I work with the ‘bad’ kids,” she stated. “However, WCA has the best students and teachers in the district. We very seldom have discipline problems, and our students are caring and protective. We are a family at our school, and I am honored that I was chosen to be a part of this program.”

When she is not in the classroom, Mandy enjoys being involved in her kid’s lives.

“I have a 16-year-old daughter, Kaley Floyd, who plays basketball and softball for the Shidler Lady Tigers,” she said proudly. “I also have an 18-year-old son, Peyton Floyd, who moved to Chandler last year and plays basketball and baseball for the Chandler Lions. Oh, and a little dog named Teddy who rules our household.”