Union High School’s Darin Cousens
Darin Cousens currently serves as an educator with Union Public Schools, specifically working at the high school level as the Teacher and Chemistry Instructional Team Leader.
Cousens said he started teaching in 2013 and is excited to get his 13th year underway.
“I was inspired to become a teacher by one of my high school teachers, Mr. Roberson. He was the first teacher that I had where we learned things that went beyond curriculum, and he made coming to class fun,” said Cousens.
After attending Northeastern State University for his undergraduate, Cousens said he attended Oklahoma State University for his graduate degree. From there he entered the workforce and quickly became involved in several activities and clubs.
“Over the years I have had numerous roles. Teacher, Instructional Team Leader, mentor teacher, National Honor Society sponsor for several years, and the sponsor of multiple other clubs,” said Cousens.
Like many of his peers, the enjoyment of teaching comes from the students.
“I am fortunate to teach some of the same students for three consecutive years. This allows me to really get to know the students and see them grow and move on to college. There is a big difference between when students come into my classroom as sophomores and when they leave as seniors,” said Cousens.
During his team at UHS, Cousens has become a very popular teacher amongst the student body.
“I teach chemistry so the subject matter is difficult, sometimes I think the only reason some of them stay is because they like me, otherwise they might find an easier class to take. They do work hard for me, and as a consequence, most of them end up learning a great deal. I have several each year that end up choosing some sort of a chemistry major when they move off to college, so it really is great,” said Cousens.
For any student considering education as a career path, Mr. Cousens offers this advice.
“Follow your passion. Get involved early. Union is actually starting a teacher recruitment class, where interested students can intern with teachers to see if it is something they can see themselves doing. It looks to be a fantastic program,” said Cousens.
