Copeland retiring after teaching for 31 years

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

— An arranged meeting between Joneen and Dan Copeland resulted in two years of letter writing, a wedding on April 21, 1970, 41 years of marriage, three children and six grandchildren.

Together they have taught school both in the United States and foreign countries.

Together they began a private school.

Now, they’re retiring - together.

Copeland, who teaches fourth-grade social studies at Pea Ridge Intermediate School, announced her retirement recently.

She has taught for 31 years. Praising Pea Ridge schools and her administrators, she said: “It’s been good to work for principals who understand that it’s God first, family second and the job third.

“These kids are my kids. I value them. They need to be respected and cared for so they can do their best as their learn.”

Copeland began her teaching career in Pea Ridge in 2004, selecting the region because of the quality of the school and the proximity to where two of her grown children live. Since here, she has taught second grade, third grade and fourth grade.

Her husband, Dan, is an English-as-a-Second-Language educational assistant at Har-Ber High School in Springdale.

Joneen graduated from Nevada City (Calif.) High School, went to Chico State in California to earn a bachelor’s degree in art, and then to Oklahoma Christian to earn a bachelor’s degree in education.

She earned her master’s degree from the University of South Carolina.

Joneen recalls that friends of hers from church invited her to their home to meet their son, who was on leave from the military. Apparently the meeting was successful. The two quickly became a young couple, launching a letter-writing courtship that spanned two years, while he was in the military.

“We got to know each other through the letters,” she said. One of the commitments the young couple made, which they still observe, was that if something could be taken either positively or negatively, they would opt for the positive. “We’ve taken that attitude through life.”

Her first teaching job was in 1970 on an Indian reservation in Browning, Mont., where she taught fifth-grade language arts.

After the couple married, she stayed home with the children. Once her older children were in school, she was asked to fill in part-time teaching eighth-grade art after a teacher quit.

At that time, the Copelands considered homeschooling their children, but opted to begin a private school. Prairie Hill Institute of Learning and Educational Opportunities - launched with 22 students.

“We taught very good values. Many of the parents helped,” she noted.

The Copelands, recognizing their son’s prowess in science, wanted to find a school that would nurture and enhance his talents as well as find a good community in which to live. After much research, both of the Copelands applied as educators to a private school in Paragould, Ark. Both were hired, which she said was very rare.

“ We were looking for a Christian school and researched schools and communities across the nation. We applied and were both hired. Dan taught elementary school and Joneen taught elementary-school art and Spanish.

“I have a major in art and a minor in Spanish.

We taught there seven years,” she said.

“Ever since we married, we wanted to teach overseas,” Copeland said.

“In the 1970s, the Peace Corps’ biggest need was medical, not educational.”

“We knew that before we were too old, we wanted to go somewhere else in the world,” Joneen said. Dan began looking for overseas opportunities and learned of an international hiring fair in New Orleans. They went to apply for jobs overseas.

“There were about 400 teachers to apply.

Only about 25 percent go away with jobs. We were hired to teach in Seoul, Korea,” she said. There, the two were teachers at a Christian school which was organized in the early 1900s for the children of missionaries. More open now, the school accepts other students as well as children of missionaries (who make up only about 1 percent of the student body).

Dan taught middle school math, she taught third grade. The Copelands’ youngest child was a sophomore in high school and went to Seoul with them. The elder two were in college in the States.

Joneen said it took their daughter about a month to adjust and then she loved it. “She built good relationships. It was a good experience.”

After seven years in Korea, the Copelands returned to America, where they went to another international teacher fair - this time, in Seattle.

“Once you’re in the international circuit, it’s easier to get another job,” she said.

This venture took themto Shanghai, China. It was a secular intermediate school. She taught second grade.

While in Korea, Joneen took a semester course of Korean. “It was really, really hard,” she said.

During her stint in China, she didn’t take up the language.

“I didn’t learn Chinese.

For a couple of years, I had a tutor. I can speak it better than I can read it. I never developed the fluency,” she said. “But I learned the basics and could understand enough for survival skills.”

Joneen recalls how much she enjoyed shopping at the local markets and practiced her language skills with the shop owners.

“I loved going to the local market. I developed regular spots I would go.

Like the little gal who sold eggs - she was so nice,” she said. Joneen explained that the owners of the shops in the local markets were country people who depended on these shops for their livelihood. “They have a different attitude. This is their livelihood. Theywould go out of their way to be helpful.”

After seven years in China, the couple returned once again to the States.

They knew they wanted to be closer to family and drew a line between Branson and southwest Arkansas. She applied to the Pea Ridge School district.

“I’m in education because I feel like we need Christians in education,” Joneen said.

“It’s hard coming back at our age,” she said, but said schools needs both the older, experienced teachers as well as new teachers.

“Schools need that broad spectrum of education and experience.

We all bring something different to the table... I’ve seen the Pea Ridge School system grow and blossom.

“We provide a quality education here,” she said.

Copeland said every teacher in her life has inspired her - some by being a good role model, others by showing her what she didn’t want to be.

“I knew the childrendeserved better,” she said. “I love seeing the light come on in their eyes” she said of students when a concept is understood.

Around the world, children have the same needs.

“Kids just want to be respected for who they are,” she said. “They want to learn. They are unique little people that want to learn something.”

Her advise to new teachers: “Be flexible; be prepared for the unexpected. You never know what kids will say or do.”

“We live in an instant society. Kids are used to being entertained instantly. Education had to change. Teachers can no longer be just lecturers. It has to be fast-paced and upbeat - but not throw out the old ways that worked.

“No matter what grade, the students need to know they must work hard and have fun doing that.”

Now, with technology advancements, Copeland has reconnected with former students and coworkers - through Facebook.

“It’s like a dandelion seed - we’ve been scattered far and wide,” she said, but has reconnected with friends in Korea, China, Egypt, Tunisia.

Even now, teaching social studies in Pea Ridge, Copeland may wear a tailor-made Chinese jacket or show a souvenir brought from overseas.

“It may not be in the (state-mandated) framework, but I weave it into the lesson. Some of the children bring coins they have from other countries.”

One of her lessons involves a scavenger hunt in which the children note where various items are made, yet are sold here in northwest Arkansas.

“The whole world touches our little community here,” she said. “It’s wonderful when students realize they can work hard and have fun doing it.”

“It’s wonderful when students realize they can

work hard and have fun doing it.”

- Joneen Copeland

Teacher

School, Pages 10 on 05/11/2011