News

Riley Hazel has been selected as the 2024-2025 East Central Middle School Teacher the Year!

This is Riley's fifth year teaching at East Central Middle. She taught English language arts for four years before switching to teach English language development.

We asked Riley a few questions to learn more about her and her time at Tulsa Public Schools.

What does a typical day look like for you?

I am an English Language Development teacher for 6th-8th grade students in the introductory and emerging levels. I work with my students to build social and academic English language skills in the domains of reading, writing, speaking, and listening. 

Why did you want to work in education?

I’ve wanted to be a teacher my whole life. I’ve always looked up to my teachers and the work that they do. I enjoyed my time as a student in TPS and am happy to continue being a teacher in the same district. 

Can you tell me a bit about your time at TPS?

I have learned that even when you become the teacher, learning never stops. There is something new to learn every day and I think I’ve learned as much from my students as hopefully they learned from me. 

What are you passionate about outside of work?

I am passionate about continuing to be a lifelong learner, specifically appreciating and learning about diverse cultures and languages throughout the world. I love to see new places through travel. I think it’s great to see how people throughout the world are more alike than they are different. 

Is there anything else you would like everyone to know?

I would like people to know that I am grateful to work with the most amazing, intelligent, brave, and resilient students. I am thankful for every day that we get to spend learning together.