Thanksgiving Walk: Sheila Ray Cooper

Sheila Ray Cooper and I met in first grade at Giffin Elementary School in South Knoxville, TN. She was Sheila Ray in those days and one of the few friends I went to school with from 1962 to 1975. I loved his friendship more than anything. Even though he beat me every time in the spelling bee and took many academic awards in junior high and especially during our senior year in high school, he always remained humble.

After my emotional visit with Shirley Underwood, I knew I was going to be happy as I met Sheila and my classmate Bob O’Connor at the same Panera Bread later in the afternoon on Sunday, July 25, 2025. Once again, my idea to symbolically show my appreciation for Sheila and Bob’s teaching jobs did not go as planned. They both asked for sweet tea, which I was willing to happily pay for, but, alas, the kind lady at the counter told me I could just get sweet tea so it was the Panera Bread employee who deserves credit for showing appreciation.

Sheila has wanted to be a teacher since she first beat me in those spelling bees in first grade. He calls his first interest a “God thing.” In high school, he got more inspiration from his English teacher Ms. Debbie Coram and journalism teacher Ms. Molly Thomas. I miss them both, too, as caring, passionate teachers.

Sheila earned a Bachelor of Science in English with a minor in journalism from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He then taught English and journalism at Gibbs High School in Knox County, TN, for 30 years. One afternoon Kenny Chesney’s fans dropped by the school office, wanting to see where Kenny went to high school. The school secretary introduced them to Sheila, who was probably in the office, because Sheila had been Kenny’s freshman English teacher. Avid fans asked questions about the country music star, and, with a straight face, he told wide-eyed fans that young Kenny had written the words “You Think My Sexy Kagandaganda” during one of his creative writing lessons. They think he’s serious and start grilling him to get more details. In the end he told them that he enjoyed teaching Kenny, but he was just kidding about the song.

I have had the opportunity to meet Sheila’s husband James several times over the years at class reunions. She is humble and kind like Sheila. No wonder their thirty-eight year marriage is still going strong. Sheila, James and their son Greg enjoy running together. In fact, Sheila and her family had just the day before run the Crazy 8s Race in Kingsport, TN, an event they have enjoyed for many years.

After Sheila retired from Knox County Schools in 2012, she taught English for two more years at River’s Edge Christian Academy in Knoxville. He then taught at River’s Edge for another five years before giving up teaching altogether when the COVID pandemic hit. He gave thirty-seven years to teaching.

I remember Sheila’s love of storytelling from our high school days, and one of her joys was encouraging a love of books in her students. His real spark, however, the reason he stayed in the industry for thirty-seven years, was the reward of building close relationships with young people who thirst for understanding and knowledge. “The feedback they would give me, the encouraging notes along the way, there is no better feeling than knowing that I was part of the journey of so many students.

While thinking about who to visit on his Thanksgiving trip, he also mentioned teachers Debbie Coram and Molly Thomas. They were excellent role models. However, during his career, one person stood out above all others. Jim Pryor, principal at Gibbs High School from 1999 to 2004, was the best principal he ever worked for as he encouraged him every day to bring “The Game” and his ways to the classroom.

It is a testament to how much Sheila cared about her students that her regrets are related to not being as encouraging as she could have been to some of her most challenging students over the years. Although she knows she was a positive influence on them, looking back she wishes she had been more patient and understanding of their struggles. This is a regret that I can describe very well. You see, Sheila was always very successful. She had achieved success in the classroom, in athletics, in her married life and as a mother. I suspect that he, like me, has a tendency to seek perfection. Teachers with this tendency should give themselves a break. Sheila has had an incredible impact on many students throughout her career but she often remembers only those few spontaneous moments. Any teacher who has taught for a long time can point to communication with students that they wish could be improved. But, my lord, we are human. And Sheila is one of the most caring people I have ever known.

Sheila became a leader among her peers while at Gibbs. The first year Tennessee instituted the Accelerated Teacher Evaluation Program, he was selected as one of the top three teachers in his school. This role has given him the opportunity to help others improve their teaching and the holistic ways in which they should be assessing their students.

As he looks at the challenges facing education today, he sees young, talented teachers leaving the field for various reasons. “One of those reasons is that young teachers feel undervalued. Effective principals like Jim Pryor, who did not manage lightly but encouraged his teachers to be creative in their ways of reaching young people, are becoming harder to find. State-mandated tests add to the lack of autonomy that new teachers face today.”

As Sheila shared her work with Bob and me, she broke down a few times. Being an effective teacher was important to him. Having the freedom to do it his way was important to him. Over the years, I have seen comment after comment on social media from his adoring readers. They wrote about his kindness above all else. Thinking back to 1962 and considering her dedication to teaching, sweet tea is a perfect reflection of Sheila as a friend and teacher.