Adjunct Professor
Department of Teacher Education
Program Area:
Curriculum & Instruction

Professional Education

Ed.D.  East Texas State University; Reading

M Ed.  East Texas State University; Administration

M.S.    Oklahoma State University; Curriculum and Instruction/Reading Specialist

B.S.     Northwestern State University; Education

Profile

Darlene Ponder finished her undergraduate degree in Oklahoma after her daughters entered elementary school.  She taught in the elementary and secondary schools of Oklahoma while pursuing her masters degree in curriculum and instruction.  After moving to Texas, she taught in Plano for 12 years and received a masters degree in administration and a doctorate degree in reading.  Before retiring from public school education, her administrative experiences included:  Curriculum Generalist, Elementary Curriculum Coordinator, and Elementary Administration.  She has previously taught graduate and undergraduate courses as an adjunct instructor for Richland Community College, UT at Commerce and numerous years as an adjunct professor for the Alternative Education Program of Dallas, Department of Reading and Department of Teacher Education at TWU.

She is currently teaching undergraduate classes in education and preparing students to become outstanding educators in their various PreK-12 fields.  She may have left the schools of public education, but she could not leave the opportunity to teach and work with students.  Her desire is to continue to learn, keep abreast of new developments in education, and enjoy the students’ enthusiasm to become “the very best teachers in Texas”.