Superhero Teacher: Carol Hawkins
By DAVID J. HARDIN
Cove Leader-Press
Dedication, love for math, longevity, and a direct connection to American history are all things Carol Hawkins has.
Carol Hawkins has been teaching for 43 years, 14 of those with Copperas Cove ISD. She teaches 11th and 12th grade AP Pre-Calculus, Pre-Calculus, AP Calculus, and AP Statistics at Copperas Cove High School. Her love for her students and math has made it easy for her to teach for so long.
Two people inspired Carol during the course of her life and made her want to become a teacher. The first was her third grade teacher Miss Lee. Every time Hawkins took a test in Miss Lee’s class, she would get 100 percent, and Miss Lee would then put her test papers up on the bulletin board for everyone to see. The second inspiration for her was Mrs. Chandler, her 9th grade math teacher at Copperas Cove High School. Hawkins Chandler helped her in so many ways and described her as patient, wonderful, and inspiring.
“I have one main teaching philosophy that is mine,” Hawkins said. “I teach students the way I would want my own children to be taught, and I want the best education possible, because I can’t re-call students. In other words I can’t call them back and tell them I forgot to teach them something. I get one shot.
Hawkins is married to a military veteran, and has four children who are all six years apart. Her oldest son is an engineer, her second oldest works in admissions at the University of Arkansas and is also working on her master’s degree. Hawkins' middle son is on staff at the College of Medicine at Texas A&M University in College Station, working in the technology side of the college. Her youngest son is 26 years.
Hawkins shared her family’s military background that had an impact on her. Her husband served in the military, her father fought in World War II and the Korean War. She also has the distinction of her paternal grandfather being a U.S. Civil War veteran. He fought from -1865. Later in life her grandfather had a son, Carol’s father, in 1917. Her grandfather was 71 years of age at the time.
Hawkins teaches her students about patriotism, being a good citizen, and being a great role model in society. She says that patriotism is a way of life, and is something that you should do every day.
With her dedication to the country's military, her dedication to her students, and her dedication to her family which has defended the United States of America for over 150 years, she was nominated for the 2015 Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) High School Teacher of the year award.
On Jan. 23, 2016, she was named Teacher of the year alongside, Paul Warren, and Catherine Sharbeno also from CCISD. The three swept the VFW District Teacher of the Year awards as well.
Carol Hawkins loves her students, loves teaching, and she hopes that all of her students will become successful in life and in society.
“It puts a smile on my face knowing that I played an important part in their lives,” Hawkins said.