Teacher of the year recognized

"It's my life."

Karen Green describes her love of teaching with simple words, but with great passion.

Green is the Wyoming County Teacher of the Year.

She has been teaching for nearly three decades, spending one year as a third grade teacher.

The remaining 28 years have been spent as a home economics teacher, first at Pineville High, then Wyoming County East.

Over the years, home economics has evolved into family and consumer science, encompassing parenting classes, food and nutrition, among other subject matter.

When she was assigned to teach third grade after training as a high school home ec teacher, Green learned quickly that she would have to roll with the punches.

"Teaching is full of challenges," she said of that first year, adding she learned she would have to "work hard and adapt to meet those challenges."

She credits her mom, Rosa Walker, with helping her get through that first year.

"Mom was a kindergarten aide at that time," she recalled.

Green also lauded elementary school teachers JoAnn Browning and Kit Mack for their assistance as well.

"If it hadn't been for them... They helped me so much," Green emphasized.

In the ensuing years, Green has taught not only home economics classes, but computer applications, served as a peer mediation coordinator, Pennies for Patients classroom motivator, facilitated long distance learning and Virtual School classes, among others.

Teaching, however, is only a part of Green's career.

She coached dozens of young girls in softball at Pineville High, though she grew up on "the other side of the county" and is a graduate of Oceana High.

At one time, the coaching position pitted her against her own father, Bob Walker, who was an assistant softball coach at Oceana High.

"My family was so supportive — even then," she recalled with a laugh.

Green credited her dad with instilling in her, as well as her siblings, the desire to win.

"But it was still a very nerve-wracking time," she said, laughing.

She has assisted and sponsored numerous school projects and extra curricular activities.

Green has also participated in state level computer training, sharing that training with both staff and students at the school.

Without the support of her husband, Tim, Green knows her job, and finding time to do the numerous additional projects, would be impossible.

Away from the classroom, Green has earned numerous ribbons and awards for her needle and cooking skills.

From crochet to quilts, Green has walked off with myriad ribbons from the West Virginia State Fair.

She's also taken awards for her pumpkin rolls as well as her Granny (Minnie) Overton's pound cake recipe.

One of the projects of which she is most proud is a tailored riding outfit she created, earning a blue ribbon at the state fair.

"I'm very proud of that," she said, "because it was a tailored suit."

Again, it was her dad who encouraged her to enter her creations. She earned her first ribbon just a month before he passed away.

It is the "simple thank you" from former and current students that she cherishes the most in her career choice.

"As long as I'm healthy, I want to keep on doing this," Green said.