There are times in life when things line up and you realize what you are supposed to do.

Bartlesville High School teacher Michael Wood had a moment like this as a college student volunteering to help in a GED program. He says that it was during his time helping with this program that he realized what he wanted to do with his life.

“I decided to become an educator after volunteering for a GED program during college,” he said.

“During my time with that program, I saw students have lightbulb moments, those moments when a person finally is able to connect with the material and begin to understand it.

Additionally, I realized that for the majority of my life, I had already been a tutor, instructor, and mentor throughout my high school, college, and work experiences. Teaching GED material, swimming lessons, tutoring classmates, and training new employees all came together and I finally understood that my passion was teaching.”

Wood teaches Algebra 2, Intermediate Algebra, and Algebra 3 to juniors and seniors at Bartlesville. This is his second year teaching. During his teaching career, Michael has been given a number of pieces of advice, but he says that there is one that has really stuck with him.

“The best remark I have heard about teaching is that no student is the same,” he stated. “Each student has different interests, goals, and learning styles, so making the material connect to their interests can help them understand what you are teaching.”

Though being a high school teacher can be exhausting and stressful at times, Wood says that the positives outweigh the negatives in a big way.

“When it comes to being an educator, I enjoy being able to help students reach understanding and hearing about their successes,” Wood said. “It is awesome to see students have light bulb moments and I like hearing when they talk to me about their successes and goals! Watching our Bartlesville students succeed has been the best part of being a teacher.”

When he is not in the classroom teaching, Wood enjoys spending time with his fiancée, Sydney Williams, and their dog named Odin.