Some educators discover their calling early in life, but for Durant High School’s Lori May, that calling began in the most charming way—inside an old farmhouse classroom she created as a child. “I grew up playing school in an old farmhouseon our farm when I was in Elementary school,” she said. Armed with discarded textbooks her teachers gifted her each year, she taught “any of my family that would sit still,” a memory she laughs about today: “I am sure my cousins were not that happy with me.”
Today, May is a Special Education teacher at Durant High School, where she teaches grades 9–12 in a self-contained classroom. She has spent “three years and one semester of my fourth year” at DHS, adding to a remarkable career that began in 1992 and spans Oklahoma and Texas. Her journey includes teaching roles in Maud, Tishomingo, and Caddo, followed by more than two decades in Texas as both an Educational Diagnostician and later the Director of Special Education. After retiring in 2021, she joined Durant ISD—an experience she calls the highlight of her career. “Teaching in Durant ISD has been the best part of my entire career.”
Her passion has always been rooted in helping students overcome challenges. “Teaching those who struggle the most has always been my passion,” she shared. She describes the joy of “seeing the smile on their face when they get it!” and cherishes moments when a student tells her, “Mrs. May, you are my favorite teacher. I love your class.”
May attributes much of her inspiration to the educators who guided her as a student: “Those who believed in me when I didn’t really believe in myself.”
Outside the classroom, May leads a vibrant life with her husband, Jim. “My husband and I ride Harley Davidson motorcycles and take our vintage vehicles to car shows,” she said. She also volunteers at the local community center, spends time by the lake, and loves searching for antiques with her grandson, Case.
For May, teaching is both purpose and privilege. As she puts it simply: “Discovering the different talents each student has and seeing the smile on their faces when they get to shine with the gift they have been given.”
