蜜桃影视

Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for 蜜桃影视 Newsletter

OKLAHOMA CITY 鈥� Those who knew Melissa Evon the best 鈥渓aughed really hard鈥� at the thought of her teaching family and consumer sciences, formerly known as home economics.

By her own admission, the Elgin High School teacher is not the best cook. Her first attempt to sew ended with a broken sewing machine and her mother declaring, 鈥淵ou can buy your clothes from now on.鈥�

Still, Evon鈥檚 work in family and consumer sciences won her the 2025 Oklahoma Teacher of the Year award on Friday. Yes, her students practice cooking and sewing, but they also learn how to open a bank account, file taxes, apply for scholarships, register to vote and change a tire 鈥� lessons she said 鈥済et kids ready to be adults.鈥�

鈥淓ven though most of my career was (teaching) history, government and geography, the opportunity to teach those real life skills has just been a phenomenal experience,鈥� Evon told Oklahoma Voice.

After graduating from Mustang High School and Southwestern Oklahoma State University, Evon started her teaching career in 1992 at Elgin Public Schools just north of Lawton. She鈥檚 now entering her 27th year in education, a career that included stints in other states while her husband served in the Air Force and a break after her son was born.

No matter the state, the grade level or the subject, 鈥淚鈥檓 convinced I teach the world鈥檚 greatest kids,鈥� she said.

Her family later returned to Oklahoma where Evon said she received a great education in public schools and was confident her son would, too.

Over the course of her career, before and after leaving the state, she won Elgin Teacher of the Year three times, district Superintendent Nathaniel Meraz said.

So, Meraz said he was 鈥渆cstatic鈥� but not shocked that Evon won the award at the state level.

鈥淭here would be nobody better than her,鈥� Meraz said. 鈥淭hey may be as good as her. They may be up there with her. But she is in that company of the top teachers.鈥�

Like all winners of Oklahoma Teacher of the Year, Evon will spend a year out of the classroom to travel the state as an ambassador of the teaching profession. She said her focus will be encouraging teachers to stay in education at a time when Oklahoma struggles to keep experienced educators in the classroom.

Evon herself at times questioned whether to continue teaching, she said. In those moments, she drew upon mantras that are now the core of her Teacher of the Year platform: 鈥淪ee the light鈥� by looking for the good in every day and 鈥渂e the light for your kids.鈥�

She also told herself to 鈥済et out of the boat,鈥� another way of saying 鈥渢ake a leap of faith.鈥�

Two years ago, she realized she needed a change if she were to stay in education. She wanted to return to the high-school level after years of teaching seventh-grade social studies.

The only opening at the high school, though, was family and consumer sciences. Accepting the job was a 鈥済et out of the boat and take a leap of faith moment,鈥� she said.

鈥淚 think teachers have to be willing to do that when we get stuck,鈥� Evon said. 鈥淕et out of the boat. Sometimes that鈥檚 changing your curriculum. Sometimes it might be more like what I did, changing what you teach. Maybe it鈥檚 changing grade levels, changing subjects, changing something you鈥檝e always done, tweaking that idea.鈥�

Since then, she鈥檚 taught classes focused on interpersonal communication, parenting, financial literacy and career opportunities. She said her students are preparing to become adults, lead families and grow into productive citizens.

And, sure, they learn cooking and sewing along the way.

鈥淚鈥檓 getting to teach those things, and I know that what I do matters,鈥� Evon said. 鈥淭hey come back and tell me that.鈥�

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Oklahoma Voice maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Janelle Stecklein for questions: [email protected].

Did you use this article in your work?

We鈥檇 love to hear how 蜜桃影视鈥檚 reporting is helping educators, researchers, and policymakers.