Cristi Young knows students do not leave the difficult parts of life at the classroom door. That understanding has shaped the way she teaches at Durant High School, where she wants students to know they will be heard, respected and given a chance to succeed.
Now in her 16th year in education and 14th at Durant, Young teaches special education Algebra III and geometry. She also serves as Student Council sponsor and esports coach.
Her path to education began after homeschooling her children for a year.
“After that year, I knew what I was meant to do,” Young said. “God showed me a path a few years later and I took it and never looked back.”
Young believes every student has something they can excel at, even if it is not the subject she teaches.
“I believe, in my heart, that every person is good at something,” she said. “It may not be math, but they have their own gift that allows them to be who they want to be.”
That philosophy became personal through her son’s experience in school. After he was diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in second grade, Young watched him struggle in a classroom where she felt he did not receive the understanding he needed.
Years later, while studying special education, she saw his experience differently.
“I wish someone would have cared enough to work through the tough days,” Young said.
She decided to provide that patience for her students.
“Every student knows that my room is safe,” she said.
Young especially enjoys seeing a student finally understand something after struggling with it.
“When they have worked hard, tried their best, and then ‘BAM,’ it all comes together,” she said. “That is a GREAT day.”
One of her most memorable moments came at graduation when a grandmother hugged Young and told her that her grandson was the first male in their family line to graduate.
“She thanked me,” Young said. “I was only one teacher that helped him along the way.”
For Young, moments like that make the work worthwhile.
“My students are worth the time and effort I put into it every day,” she said. “I absolutely love what I do.”
