Master teachers
Mindy Bowlin, master teacher at the Primary School, also teaches English as a Second Language. She has been involved in education for 12 years, eight at Pea Ridge.
"I love to help children grow and reach their full potential," she said.
She has two children and enjoys spending time with her family and working on crafts.
Bowlin said she played softball for four years at University of Central Arkansas.
Tracy Hager, master teacher at Pea Ridge Intermediate School, has been in education for seven years, all at Pea Ridge.
"I became a teacher because I love working with children to encourage them to reach their full potential," Hager said. "While in the classroom, I became team leader for the third-grade team. I found that I loved serving the teachers on my team, as well, to make sure that their needs were met in the classroom. As a Master Teacher, I can serve all of the teachers and students in my building. It's the best of both worlds. Making sure that the teachers and students in my building are successful has become a daily passion for me. I love seeing them succeed!"
My husband, Steve, and I have two children. Jordan is a junior at University of Central Arkansas in Conway and Brandi is a senior at Pea Ridge High School. We also have one dog, Daisy, and one grand-pup, Olive.
Hobbies: My hobbies are reading, as well as spending time with family and friends.
Something interesting about you: I was a stay-at-home mom when my daughters were babies. When they started pre-school, I went back to college to get my degree. It was important to me that my daughters understood the importance of a college degree, as well as understanding that it is never too late to follow your dreams.
Allison Kiple Johnson, master teacher, teaches 11th and 12th grades English and Social Studies. She has been in education for 12 years, four at Pea Ridge.
"The brilliance of young people has always inspired me. I love their energy and lack of cynicism. I became a teacher not out of a love for English or literature, but because I wanted to see those sparks of energy, and as a teacher, I want to fan the sparks and make a conflagration. I know these amazing young people will make the world better, and I just want to help be a part of it," she said.
Johnson has two children -- Becket, 5, and Liam, 10.
She enjoys reading, painting, singing, playing music, gardening, walking around outside, getting projects started and uncompleted and spending time with her family.
"I was not a natural student growing up, even though my parents were both exceptional teachers," she said. "I loved learning, but reading was difficult and I was hyperactive and impulsive. Later, we learned I had ADHD (still do) and all of the frustrations I had going through school suddenly had an explanation. I think this is another reason I became a teacher: I hate hearing a child say that he/she is stupid. Stupid by what standard? No child deserves to feel this way, and I promised myself that if I could convenience others that all children are brilliant, then I've done something right. As I tell my kids, we all get to our destinations in the end and the road we take doesn't matter at all, some people like to take the highway, point-A to point-B as quickly as possible. But there are others, like me who really like to meander, get lost, and find a few cool scenic overlooks -- but I get there. We all will.
Malinda Stewart, master teacher and high school math teacher, has been in education for more than 20 years, 16 of which have been at Pea Ridge.
"I love math and helping kids learn math," she said.
Stewart has two sons and enjoys working jigsaw puzzles and mowing the lawn.
"Our family went to Haiti for a week this past summer, which was my first trip out of the country," she said.
Community on 10/07/2015