From a small town in Louisiana to the busy halls of Texas High School, Mallory Ogea feels at home in her classroom. Her love for English and commitment for her students’ success, while also juggling her personal life, shapes her in every adventure she takes on.
With multiple years spent teaching at smaller schools and her childhood dreams of working with animals, Ogea’s story stems from embracing change and staying true to what makes her feel herself most. Returning to Texas High, she finds fulfillment through nurturing her students’ potential, while giving importance to her family and personal growth. Her journey demonstrates a deep dedication to creating a positive impact in the lives around her.
“I always wanted to teach, but when I first started teaching, I did not teach English,” Ogea said. “I taught computer classes and public speaking.”
Returning to Texas High, and to the people she loves, a 10th grade English position opened for a new teacher. Ogea decided to get back into English, sparking a memory of what shapes her identity.
“I remembered why I wanted to teach when I got into English,” Ogea said. “That is where I felt most myself.”
Ogea experiences a sense of survival throughout the first six weeks of each school year. Through personal difficulties, along with her starting a new school year and a different campus, her kids were also going through the same adjustment. Both Ogea and her kids attended Queen City in the previous year.
“We lost one of our dogs [and] my husband lost his job,” Ogea said. “And my son has school challenges, so it’s a rough start as a parent.”
Outside of work, Ogea enjoys traveling, photography and reading. After high school, she attended Louisiana State University for her undergraduate, then got her master’s degree at Stephen F. Austin University. She continuously finds ways to make her students feel welcome and understood.
“Remembering that we’re all human has been my biggest thing [to] stay motivated,” Ogea said. “Also, [I try to remember] that sometimes the relationship with the student has to come before whatever I’m trying to get them to do that day.”
She inspires her students to progress in all their efforts and feels disappointed when they fall short, knowing their potential. While attending to other kids, Ogea, a mother to three children, dedicates most of her time to the needs of her children. She plans to home school her children in years to come.
“I think that public school is a failing system, and I want to cater to my own kids’ needs more than other kids,” Ogea said. “I don’t want them to think they have to fit the bill of what public school thinks they have to be like, and I want to be able to foster their independence.”
Aside from her love for animals and being a teacher, Ogea finds herself ‘fan girling’ over the Gilmore Girls television show on Netflix.
“I go to the Gilmore Girls Fan Fest every year,” Ogea said. “In fact, I’m going next month in Connecticut, and I’ve met a bunch of the cast.
Weekends in the Ogea family tend to be busy, filled with spending time with the kids, taking care of their animals, folding laundry, cooking and preparing for the week to come. Everyday, she drives from Atlanta, Texas to Texarkana, Texas and likes to be stress free in the morning time. Although she lives in Texas, she grew up as a cajun.
“We don’t have as many franchises in the south, and we do a lot of locally owned stuff,” Ogea said. “So when I moved to Texas, that was a hard kicker for me. My kids love what we call ‘the fire place’, which is Osaka’s.”
Ogea anticipates the differences, challenges and triumphs that will occur over the next school year. Although the size of Texas High School proved to be a true culture shock, Ogea finds ways to adapt and to thrive in a large learning environment.
“The size [of Texas High] was a big shock for me coming here,” Ogea said. “I grew up in a small school, and I only ever taught at smaller schools, but [the size] fosters more independence in the students than a smaller school would.”
