Bertha Wise

Growing up on a dairy farm provided me with the understanding that change is constant, that one may need to make do, that problems had solutions if one looked for them, that there are parts of life out of our control, and that getting up early has its advantages. Over the years, I have had to change my life many times. My parents and I moved from upstate NY to Tucson, AZ in the middle of the summer! I had to change high schools three times before I graduated. Then, I married, moved to NH, to Japan, to CA, to SC, landing finally in OK, where I've lived for over thirty years. My children were born in the years prior to OK, but one of them is almost a native "Okie" even though she visits her dad in GA every year. My son went to GA when he was still young enough to become an "Bulldog" when he grew up and went to the U. of GA. When my kids were still pretty young, I returned to school and found something I loved--learning for the sake of learning. After earning my master's degree in English, I did the adjunct teaching circuit for over six years. One of those institutions finally said, "you need to settle down" and so, I did. Oklahoma City Community College has been my "work home" ever since. O-Trip is a great place to work. It's not perfect, but close enough. I've had so many opportunities to try many things: teaching the primary one, serving as a department chair, the first director of the center for learning and teaching, coordinator of multi-divisional programs, and co-chair of the recent self-study for accreditation project. Related to teaching, I've been an active member of TYCA-SW (Two Year ^English College Association-Southwest Region), being the conference co-chair in 2009. I teach both on campus and online, with more online in the last ten years. I've survived the use of WebCT, Blackboard, ANGEL and almost Moodle over the years. I say "almost Moodle" because I'm still learning how to use that LMS and solving the little issues that pop up. Now, one may think that my life is complete with all of that work, but there's more. My husband, Guy (not Wise), is my main cheerleader and supporter--a one-man pep squad. My cats Shadow and Cato take me as I am too. I love poetry that conveys the essence of all meaning in life to me. I perhaps love traveling to places where I find old and new friends ready to welcome me. I still make it back to my home state, even though the farm is now gone. That land taught me unforgotten initial lessons.