After working with children and youth for 11 years, Misti Dickerson decided that while she wanted to continue working with young people, she wanted to change career paths and that’s when she became a teacher.
Misti earned her teaching certificate in 2010 and has spent the last 13 years teaching in the Vernon ISD school system. She currently teaches eighth grade Reading Language Arts and was named Vernon Middle School Teacher of the Year for 2022-23.
“I became a teacher because I wanted to continue a career in which I could make a positive impact on the lives of young people,” she explained.
After graduating from Texas A&M University with a bachelor of science degree in community health, Misti worked as a Lifeskills Group Coordinator for ages 5 thru 17, at the New Directions Life Center in Oklahoma City. She later spent a year as a behavioral health rehabilitation specialist for ages 3 thru 17 at North Care for Kids also in Oklahoma City.
Misti returned to Vernon and worked five years as a case manager at Victory Field Correctional Academy of the Texas Youth Commission and served as volunteer services administrator and public relations officer there for three years.
In 2005, Misti earned her master’s degree in human relations from the University of Oklahoma and is currently working on her master’s degree in school counseling at West Texas A&M University.
A product of the Vernon ISD school system and a graduate of Vernon High School, Misti said being a teacher never really crossed her mind while growing up, but she is now proud to work for the district where she attended school and graduated from high school.
“My first teaching assignment with VISD was teaching fourth grade in the exact same classroom where I was a fourth grader 25 years earlier,” she said. “I really enjoy working with the teachers and staff on my campus.”
Misti and her husband, Scott, have two daughters – Madison Sparks and Nicole Dickerson. In her spare time, Misti enjoys watching movies, reading books, camping, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.