In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, POE would like to highlight one of our employees who is a breast cancer survivor, a long-term educator and a valued member of our REP team.
Carol Mattoon began her education career in Frederick, Oklahoma by teaching 4th graders and physical education. She then went to a K-8 school teaching all subjects except math. She even coached a boys’ basketball team for seven years, with two of those years achieving an undefeated record. She finished up her last 15 years by teaching 8th grade English.
“I had always planned on being a teacher,” said Carol, who graduated from Cameron University with a double major in elementary education and physical education. “I had aunts and uncles who were teachers and by being around family members who taught, I knew teaching would be a great opportunity. As a teacher, you are a mom, a nurse, a confidant. You have the lives of young people in your hands.”
Carol is a REP for POE’s Region 3 which includes Creek, Grant, Kay, Kingfisher, Logan, Noble, Pawnee, Payne and Osage counties. She also works with our student chapters, “When I go out to the colleges to speak, I always tell them, ‘You are going to have really good days and you are going to have really bad days. However, you are going to make a difference in a person’s life. You need to care for each student as a person because you may be the only person who cares.’
“I remember looking out the window one day while I was teaching, thinking, ‘Can I come back to school tomorrow?’ Then I turned around and saw one of my young students leaving a note on my desk. She brought me a stuffed animal and left it along with the note. Then I thought, ‘Yes, I can come back.’”
Carol kept teaching for 30 years. She has former students who might be in their 50s today come up and say, “Ms. Mattoon, you were my favorite teacher.” These moments mean the world to Carol. From the “I love yous” to thank you notes to flowers, Carol still cherishes these sweet moments that make teaching worthwhile.
After retiring from teaching in 2002, Carol went to work for child welfare part-time before joining POE. She has been at POE now for seven years. She enjoys being a REP because she can still be with educators, visiting with them and helping them, whether personally or by referring them to POE’s legal department. The care she had for her students is the same care she provides POE members.
Two years after retiring from education, Carol was diagnosed with breast cancer.
As with teaching, Carol’s attitude was critical. “When you find out you have cancer, attitude is everything. Cancer was a setback in my life and it was not going to stop me. It was not going to get me down. It was not going to change my life.”
Carol knew she was going to lose her hair so she bought a couple of wigs. She was determined that chemo treatments were not going to make her sick and they didn’t. Carol was winning her battle with breast cancer. However, two years later the cancer came back. Again, she was determined not to get sick, despite going through radiation the second time.
As a two-time breast cancer survivor of 16 years, Carol’s advice to others is that you if you think something is wrong check it out. “My mammogram never showed a thing; however, I could feel a lump. I had an ultrasound and it didn’t show anything. Finally, a biopsy showed that I had cancer.”
Following her diagnosis, Carol kept going like she always has.
“I want to do anything,” Carol said. “I want to experience everything.”
I Love Teaching 