Barbara Cooper says she was probably the only kid in Brooklyn listening to country music in the 70's, so she is very happy to be in Colorado where country music is everywhere. Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, she attended parochial schools from elementary to college, all relatively large schools in urban settings.
Fortunately, her husband, Tony, is a native of Colorado and they met in Brooklyn in 1993, while both working at a Parochial school. they knew they would eventually move to Colorado. In 2002, they made the move, living in Pueblo for about a year until they discovered the Greenhorn Valley. The couple moved to the valley in 2003, despite having to commute to Pueblo for their jobs, Tony worked at the State Hospital and Barbara worked in several Pueblo city schools.
This year, Barbara is gracing the halls of Craver Middle School, teaching algebra, pre-algebra, and 7thgrade math. In her 38th year in education, most have been in middle school with some time in elementary education. She shared, “My dream has always been to work in this valley and finally, after eighteen years of commuting, this year that dream has come true. I feel so blessed to work at Craver Middle School this year! I teach some of the best students I have ever met. Every day is special. They work hard, and they make me work harder.”
Teaching is much more than just a job to Cooper; it is a life-long dream. Cooper said, "Believe it or not, I knew I was going to be a teacher since I was five years old. My aunt Maureen is a religious sister back in New York. Her vocation was teaching and she has had a big impact on my career. I have also been blessed to have several exceptional teachers and I have learned so much. The common theme of the best teachers has been the same: ‘Students do not care what you know until they know that you care.’ (John Maxwell)”
Cooper attended St. Joseph's College in New York where she majored in child study and mathematics. From there, she attended Brooklyn College for graduate study in mathematics education. Receiving graduate honors led to a scholarship from the National Science Foundation to do post-graduate work in discrete mathematics at Rutgers University. Cooper believes she was able to enrich her learning experience by attending these schools with such diverse settings and with students from different backgrounds.
While teaching in Brooklyn, most of Cooper’s education and experience revolved around teaching mathematics in middle school. She was recognized by Who's Who Among America's Teachers twice during that time and received an award from the American Medical Association for promoting math literacy in education. She revealed, “Students historically do not choose math as their favorite subject. My goal as an educator is to alleviate the phobias that accompany math, and to try to make math ‘real’, relating the skills and concepts to students' experiences, encourage them to realize that there is math all around and that what they learn today has an impact on their future. I want them to love math! If teachers introduce some fun into their lessons, students are better able to retain what they learn. My ‘specialty’ is making mathematics engaging for students through hands-on, rigorous activities that will be remembered. Since this is an area that can be somewhat dry and procedural, it is essential that teachers find ways to make math real.”
Cooper feels blessed to have classes in-person and be able to provide direct instruction this year. She acknowledges that students have had a rough couple of years, juggling the in-person and online classroom time. They are doing their very best to be engaged and open-minded, and she feels this has been a great year so far.
Cooper and her husband, Tony, both love living in the Greenhorn Valley. She shared that in their time away from work they both love to play golf, go fishing, enjoy the wildlife, and gardening. Before moving here, they had an informal cat rescue and found homes for 27 cats (after having them neutered and receiving first shots). She said, “That was a biggie for me, as I absolutely love cats! We have one now that was a rescue.”
In more quiet times, the Coopers enjoy reading and cooking together. Barbara shared that her cooking specialty is Italian, but she is learning Mexican cuisine a little at a time.