Interview With Mr. Cook

Madison Slusser

Mr. Travis Cook has been an Algebra teacher at Heavener for seventeen years. Mr. Cook went to Carl Albert for two years and then Northeastern State University in Tahlequah where he received a bachelor’s degree in math education.

Q: Did you always want to teach Algebra?

Mr. Cook: Actually, no. I wanted to play in the NBA, but that didn’t work out. So, I decided that I would teach Algebra.

Q: Did you like going to college?

Mr. Cook: No, I hated it! I did like playing ping pong though.

Q: How many years do you think you will continue to teach?

Mr. Cook: Hmm… I’d like it to be about one or two, but it will probably be about twenty!

Q: What are some pros/cons of teaching?

Mr. Cook: Well, a pro is definitely the time off. And the cons are the students!

(He only means this jokingly.)

Q: What is a good day at school for you?

Mr. Cook: So, like, if all of the students understood what to do and actually got it, then it would be a great day!

Q: What do you do when a student complains about an assignment?

Mr. Cook: I tell them that it will be alright, or that I’m sorry!

Q: How do you like to spend your time away from school?

Mr. Cook: I like to hunt, fish, and play golf.

Q: Do you have any “trapped on a desert island” books or movies?

Mr. Cook: That movie where Tom Hanks is stranded on an island, Castaway! For the book, it would be the Bible.

Q: Do you have any embarrassing teaching moments that you would like to share?

Mr. Cook: Well, maybe when I fell and hit my head on the window sill. Is that embarrassing enough? (He laughs)

Q: What is your favorite meal?

Mr. Cook: Fried deer steak, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn on the cob, homemade rolls, and a coconut cream pie!