Teri Larson transitioned from the dugout to the classroom for her teaching career. She started coaching for Maize High School in 1989 and loved working with the teenagers on the field. Four years later, she decided to go back to college for her teaching license, knowing she wanted a full-time career helping young people in and out of the classroom. With 25 years of teaching under her belt, she says she teaches for Maize because the district continues to strive to be the best.

Her story has a OneMa1ze twist. Her husband, Gregg, was her assistant softball coach for five years at Maize High School, and they raised their four daughters in the Maize district, with them attending both Maize High School and Maize South High School. In her classroom, she teaches speech and English to freshmen and seniors and enjoys seeing them start and finish their high school career at Maize South High School. She shares, “It is inspiring to see them overcome various challenges and become young adults ready to take on the world.”

Her students have taught her to be more empathetic. She said she realizes that all students want is to succeed, and she is there to help them navigate that journey. For her, she believes that all teachers make other professions possible and teaching is so important to society.