Text Box: Mrs. Karen Davis                              Mr. Johnny Thompson                               Mrs. Karen Farley        Mr. Johnny Thompson Superintendent   Mrs. Karen Davis High School Principal     Mrs. Karen Farley Elementary Principal Lucky for me, I decided in the 8th grade that I wanted to be a special education teacher! I started working toward that goal and never stopped until I reached it!       After graduation from Paragould HIgh School in 1973, I went to the University of Arkansas where I graduated with a B.S.E. degree in Elementary Education and mental Retardation. Upon graduation I took my first teaching job in 1977 at Paragould's Oak Grove Elementary teaching first grade. As I began my first year of teaching I immediately enrolled in graduate school at ASU in Jonesboro, Arkansas. In 1978, I received a M.S.E. in Learning Disabilities and Behavior Disorders. Before moving to Missouri, I completed year two of my career teaching special education at Oak Grove Elementary in Paragould.       That same year I married Rick Cooper from Cooter, Missouri and started teaching special education in Cooter. Later Rick and I had two great kids, Luke and Rachel.       My teaching experience has been full of many opportunities. I taught special education at Cooter and later went to Oak View to teach children with severe/profound disabilities. Oak View is part of the Pemiscot County Special School District. During the time at Oak View, I began serving as a Missouri Autism Consultant and continue to serve in that position. After a few years at Oak View, I was given the opportunity to begin the first classroom in our county for children with Behavior Disorders. Initially, the classroom was at the R-III school district and the second year it was moved to South Pemiscot's East Elementary. Years later, I began to serve as the Special Education Consultant for the Pemiscot County Special School District where I served the 8 school districts of our county.         After completing my Master's degree I continued to go back to graduate school to receive additional certification in Severe Developmental Disabilities, Orthopedically Handicapped, Gifted and Talented and Elementary Administration. I was given many opportunities during these years for growth including  representing  Missouri teachers as Missouri Teacher of the Year in 1981 and serving on the state Special Education Advisory Board for the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.       I returned to South Pemiscot in 1997 where Luke and Rachel were students in Junior/Senior High. That summer my husband Rick was killed in a tragic accident and I felt very fortunate to be back at South Pemiscot with my children and with the great support of the Steele community. The Board of Education hired me to write, develop, and later teach the first program for Gifted and Talented children in our district (L.E.A.P.).       In 1998, Stella Griffin who had been an institution in the elementary school, retired from the principalship and I was offered the position. Alas! That is how I arrived in this position which I truly love!       July of 2000 brought some personal changes for me and I married Bill Farley who had been my high school sweetheart in Paragould.       I completed my Specialist' degree in the superintendency in 2003 from Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau.       This is my 29th year in education and I have loved it! I continue to love school, my job, and even more so the children I see everyday. My job is a huge part of my life and it is an opportunity for me to give back to a community that has been so good to me. I still wake up every day excited that I'm going to school!  Another reason my job is so great at South Pemiscot is because of our wonderful and talented staff. They make our school a very special place for children. I am so thankful to be a part of this great school!