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Hello, everyone! I’m passionate about connecting people with knowledge and ideas across diverse subjects. With a background in Spanish Language and Literature, as well as natural language processing, I thrive on exploring intricate questions and offering valuable insights. Beyond my teaching career, I’m a strong advocate for lifelong learning and relish discussions on literature, technological advancements, and ethical dilemmas within the Spanish-speaking world. Outside of these pursuits, I find relaxation in music and exploring new hiking trails.
As a Spanish teacher, I find great purpose in my work for several reasons:
Passion for Language: I am deeply passionate about the Spanish language, with its rich culture and history, and I am eager to share this passion with others.
Impact on Students: Teaching provides me with the opportunity to directly influence students’ lives by helping them learn a new language and expand their worldview.
Promoting Cultural Understanding: Through teaching Spanish, I strive to cultivate greater cultural empathy and understanding among students for Spanish-speaking communities worldwide.
Personal Fulfillment: Witnessing students’ growth in language proficiency brings me immense personal fulfillment and satisfaction. Career Choice: Teaching aligns perfectly with my skills, interests, and values, allowing me to contribute positively to society through education.
Educational Background:
- Master of Arts (M.A.) Spanish Language and Literature at The University of Oklahoma–Norman
- Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) Spanish Language and Literature at The University of Oklahoma-Norman
I have lived in Tulsa most of my life but love to travel as much as I can. I also enjoy reading, writing about television and film, doing crossword puzzles, playing basketball, and walking my dogs in our neighborhood. My wife, son, and I live near downtown Tulsa so you can frequently find us dining or wandering around there.
I’ve been involved in youth development and education for over twenty years now, but I love my work most with TSAS. Our community is a weird and wonderful place to work and I think we’re doing something remarkable in education: It is humane, it is innovative, and it is providing a space for personal growth for all the stakeholders involved. My position allows me to see all aspects of our school’s past, present, and future, and what I witness on a daily basis makes me excited about what is ahead.
Email: dsharples@tsas.org
Room: 104 D
Educational Background:
- Master’s in Organizational Dynamics from the University of Oklahoma (in progress)
- Graduate coursework in Secondary Education from the University of Missouri-St. Louis
- Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies from the University of Oklahoma
I teach because I enjoy it. I enjoy fostering and guiding someone to that point of discovery because I find it beautiful and expansive for them and myself. I believe that we are all in a kind of student/teacher cycle throughout our entire lives and I wish to embrace that interdependence.
It is curious to me how I can look to the night sky in wonder, and marvel at how well physics has described that celestial dance and our inseparable place in it, yet I feel that often when many of us look upon ourselves, that wonder is no longer present. I want to live a life that encourages that sense of wonder in the individual as well as the whole.
Email: sslater@tsas.org
Room: 304
Educational Background
- Bachelor’s of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Oklahoma State University
Though I was born far away in California, I am proud to be an Oklahoman who has lived for 4 decades in Tulsa. I have invested more than 20 years as a career educator and am grateful for the ways I have been transformed by my years at TSAS, and that my four children had the privilege of graduating from TSAS as well. I love learning and spend as much time as I can reading books, writing, practicing artistic pursuits, cooking, and enjoying nature. I think that good conversations, time with family and friends, coffee, and dogs bring beauty to the mess of life.
I am honored to be a school leader at TSAS because it is a learning community focused on the human experience of teaching and learning. It is a school concerned about the whole person and committed to nurturing the potential and growth of each individual student. The teachers at TSAS care about each student’s academic achievement as well as their human journey. On an almost daily basis I am awed by our relational environment and the ways it supports and encourages both students and the faculty. Our school community is made up of people who care deeply about intellectual pursuits, creativity, innovation and humanity.There’s no place like TSAS and I am honored to contribute to this special school.
Email: lsmith@tsas.org
Room: 201
Educational Background:
- Ph.D. in Curriculum Studies from Oklahoma State University
- Masters of Education in School Administration from Northeastern State university
- Bachelor of Arts in English, Fine Art & Education from the University of Tulsa
- Associate of Arts in Fine Art from Tulsa Junior College
I love politics, philosophy, poetry, and my cats (Dionysus and Descartes). I have had the privilege of mentoring young debaters and actors for 10 years. I’ve been professionally associated with the Harvard National Invitational Forensics Tournament and OSSAA Speech and Debate. I’m a theatre nerd who has worked in stage production and costuming since 2017. I’m a writer with a special interest in journalism and research; I’ve been published by three newspapers, showcased in two symposia, and awarded for my radio and social media work.
I yearn to be where I’m most needed and to make positive impacts. Communication is our greatest asset. Speech and Debate empowers young people with tools of self expression so that they can advocate for themselves and each other. It empowers them by exposing them to real world issues in political, economic, and philosophical terms and requiring them to see such issues in shades of gray rather than black and white. And it empowers them through the transformative power of performance, which inspires self confidence, mindfulness, and empathy.
Email: rspindle@tsas.org
Room: 207 B
Educational Background:
- BA in Professional Media with specialization in Philosophy from the University of Central Oklahoma
I started at TSAS in 2006 as a substitute barely three years older than my students. I was hired full-time the next year, teaching World Lit, Brit Lit, The Graphic Novel, YA Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Contemporary Nonfiction, Mythology, AP Lang, and Computers I and II over the next ten years. Seeing a need to better serve our graduates, I created the College & Career Counselor position; then, seeing a further need, I began building our library. When I’m not at TSAS I’m working on my house, building drawing machines, knitting/crocheting, reading, or designing CNC projects.
I do this work because I believe that access to information is an essential right, and that nurturing the wisdom to use that information can bring about self-emancipation. Getting the right books into the hands of a curious student—or the right tools into the hands of a student with an idea—is all I want to do in this world.
Email: jstallings@tsas.org
Room: Collegiate Commons
Educational Background:
- Master of Library and Information Studies from the University of Oklahoma
- Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts from Rogers State University