All About the Teacher
Greetings & Salutations everyone! I am your math intervention teacher, Mrs. Tracie Skok. I graduated from Mountain View High School in Mesa, AZ back in 1993. I then went on to Scottsdale Community College, where I met my husband, Joe Skok, whom I married on October 27th, 1996. I proceeded to Glendale Community College during this time, earning my Associates of Arts degree before moving onto ASU receiving my Bachelors in Education. I started teaching public education in July of 2001. I recently completed my Masters in Education: Curriculum & Instruction in Secondary (7-12) Reading Methods at Grand Canyon University.
I have been with the district since 2012. I am excited for my eleventh year back in Dysart for 7/8 math & HS Electives. I plan to assist my peers & students to become more confident and successful in credit recovery, hybrid learning, and applying math skills.
I have been teaching for 20 years, since 2001, when I graduated from ASU. I hold a B.A. in Education with an emphasis in Middle School Mathematics and Middle School Reading. I am highly-qualified and certified in 1st-12th grades with endorsements in the following areas: K-12 ESL, 1-12 Reading Specialist, 1-8 Math Intervention Specialist, Middle School Math (5-9), Middle School Language Arts (5-9), and 7-12 English. In 2015 I earned my Masters Degree in Curriculum & Instruction for Secondary Reading Methods through Grand Canyon University.
Most of my classroom experience has been with middle school (5th-8th), although I work in the summers with students in 7th - 12th grade from all over the world. For seven years, I was the 6th - 8th grade Reading & Math Intervention Specialist at VPMS. In addition, I have taught 8th grade Math, 6th Math, 6th Language Arts, and both 5th & 6th grade general education. Before I taught in public education, I was teaching dance and worked in the restaurant business.
I have been married since October 1996 (going on 26 years!) to my husband, Joe, who is a plumber. We opened our own small, family-operated and run business, Thunderbird Plumbing, in 2002, at the end of my first year teaching. When I'm not in the classroom, I'm in the office, managing client accounts and book-keeping paperwork.
My Hobbies include:
Country Dancing
Traveling
Baking
Cards & Board Games
Attending the Theatre
Going to the Movies
Boating & Swimming
Coloring & Card-Making
BUNCO and Bingo
Reading Children's Books
Anything Dr. Seuss!
Math Dice & Card Games!
We currently have two "Fur-kids" - they are Pembroke Welsh Corgis. In May of 2010, we adopted Sir Maverick and Lady Charlotte, who come from the Queen of England's Corgi blood-line! They are my "babies" who love to swim, go to the lake, play ball, and watch TV with us.
Favorite Places to Eat include:
Black Bear Diner
Cracker Barrel
Panera
Red Lobster
Olive Garden
Chick-Fil-A
Tokyo Joe's
Jimmy John's
Favorite Places to go include:
Parks in Autumn
Lakes in Summer
Colorado
California
Lake Tahoe
Laughlin, NV
Interlaken, Switzerland
Tuscan areas in Italy
Traveling has allowed me to meet many wonderful people, including this Dallas Cowboys player, who asked me to play Scrabble with him on the plane!
I am an avid bear lover (especially panda & polar bears), and find it perfect that my last school mascot was the cubs! I have been collecting bears so long that my guest room is literally a "bear den".
Other Favorites:
Dogs, Lemurs, Parrots, Raccoons, & Lizards
Purple, Bright Pink, & Lime
Whatchamacallit candy bars
Peanut Butter M&Ms
Bit O Honeys
Licorice - both black & flavored
Watermelon Jolly Ranchers
Cotton Candy
Hot, Soft Pretzels
Peach Iced Tea
Cherry Coke
My favorite holidays are Halloween, Christmas, and St. Patrick's Day.
Blue Macaw with me in CA