LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Debra Wilkinson was nominated by an anonymous member of her community.

After 34 years, Mrs. Wilkinson has made the difficult decision to retire from teaching at the end of this school year. "Mrs. Wilk," as the students call her, has used her math class to develop independent thinkers at Legg Middle School since she began teaching in 1987. She often jokes that she has been teaching long enough to have second generation students (children of former students), and that she needs to leave before she gets grandchildren of former students! 

The city of Coldwater has a very diverse population, with many students who speak English as their second language. As an eighth grade math teacher, Mrs. Wilkinson is tasked with trying to communicate mathematical concepts and procedures to students who may not yet have a full understanding of the English language. Many major math concepts are taught in the middle school years, which are the foundation to build on as students progress into high school. Mrs. Wilkinson developed a fun "Game Time" curriculum to help build on these concepts and keep students engaged. Every week or two, Mrs. Wilkinson teaches a new card, dice, or board game that is based on logical thinking or math. Once students have gotten the basic concept of the game, Mrs. Wilkinson gives each of them supplies to take home and share the game with their family. The students love to share fun stories about how their "Family Game Night" went, how their family liked the game, who won, etc. Many of her students' parents have contacted her to tell her how much fun they have interacting with their child, and they thank her for helping them stay connected. During the COVID-19 disruption, one of her highlights was learning that most of her students continued to host "Family Game Night" with their families and shared their stories with their classmates in the virtual classroom.

"Legg Middle School will surely miss Mrs. Wilkinson as a teacher, but also as a mentor, nurturer, and friend. Class dismissed," said the nominator.