If you ask several students who their favorite teacher on TPS has been, a lot of them will name Mrs. Troxell--more commonly known as "Mrs. T".

Nikki Troxell has been a teacher on The Potter's School for approximately three and a half years.  She began in January of 2002 when one of TPS' Junior-High English teachers became sick and could not continue teaching for the rest of the school year.  Mrs. Troxell began teaching for her in the afternoons and evenings while, at the same time, teaching for a public school during the day.  Now, Mrs. Troxell teaches full-time for TPS. She currently teaches Grammar Review and Compositional Writing (otherwise known as G&C) and Grade 10: Introduction to Literature.  Her favorite part about teaching for TPS is interacting with the students.  "I feel so blessed to know so many kids from so many places, and I feel like my own personal world has just exploded over the past three years since I began teaching with TPS," says Mrs. T.

Mrs. Troxell was born in Freeman, South Dakota, which had a population of approximately 1,500 people.  However, she grew up on a farm in the teeny tiny town of Spencer, which currently has a population of 150 people.  "The farm best describes my childhood," recalls Mrs. T.  "Everything we did had to do with the farm."  She grew up with a sister only 17 months older than herself, so naturally the two played together often.  "I also have a brother (four years younger) who we tormented often," she says.  Mrs. T says that farm blood runs deep in her veins.  She attributes her work ethic, faith, understanding of life and death, and her love of the outdoors to growing up on a farm.  Her father still farms today, and the farm Mrs. T and her siblings grew up in is the same farm that Mrs. T's dad was raised in, and it is the only home he has ever known.

When Mrs. Troxell turned 18, she traveled to Bartlesville, Oklahoma to attend Bartlesville Wesleyan College for four years.  Mrs. T says, "I would not have travelled so far from home except for the fat academic scholarship which God blessed me with."  During her second year of college, Mrs. Troxell met the man who is now her husband.  He also grew up in South Dakota and came to BWC for the same reason as Mrs. Troxell: a scholarship.  Mr. Troxell called Nikki up one night, and, although they had never talked before, they did so that night for an hour. Their first "real meeting" was shooting hoops together in the school gymnasium.  They dated for two and a half years before they married; Mrs. Troxell says that the length of their dating period really helped, and they have now been married for six years and are "still loving every minute."

In 2004, Mrs. Troxell attended what some people like to call the "guinea pig" trip of Thailand.  She had a fantastic time and the only thing she disliked was "the super long plane ride."  However, even that had its pros, as it gave everyone on the team an opportunity to get to know their teammates before arriving in Thailand and diving right into work.  Mrs. Troxell says that she loved meeting her students, but loved hearing about and seeing how God was at work in their lives the most.  "While there, I gained a whole new appreciation, especially for my TCK students.  I began to realize some more of their struggles, and I think that the trip as a whole both bolstered my faith and has made me a better teacher to all of my students," Mrs. T says reminiscently.

Mrs. Troxell has several hobbies.  She loves to be outside, and her husband taught her to hunt several years ago.  "I do this with  him, mostly becasue I get to do two of my favorite things: be outside and spend time with him."  As well, Mrs. Troxell has a garden she enjoys working in, and she also loves reading and writing.  "That goes with the whole 'I teach English' deal," says Mrs. Troxell.  This past summer P31 Woman magazine published an article of hers.  Since then she has been taking more time to write and submit articles to other magazines.

The Troxell's only have a few animals right now, but according to Mrs. Troxell they used to have "a mini zoo."  Currently they have Scout, a black lab puppy, Mr. Troxell's hunting companion, and the Troxell's outside dog.   They also have Scooter, "a very tiny boxer puppy.  I anticipate she'll be large any day now, though, since she's only 9 weeks old."  Their final animal is Steve, a loud and "somewhat annoying" parakeet.  Mrs. Troxell enjoys the acreage of their home, because it allows them to have many animals at one time. 

Both Mr. and Mrs. Troxell grew up in South Dakota, which is where they now reside.  "The summer weather is gorgeous, and if a person can handle staying inside for weeks at a time, the winters aren't bad either."  Mrs. Troxell enjoys the scenery and the privacy that their location in South Dakota offers.  "I do dislike one thing, though, and ironically, it's one of my favorite things as well: the privacy also means that we are often isolated.  Our closest neighbors are 3/4 of a mile away, and so literally a whole day can go by when I see only Mr. T if I do not leave the acreage.  Maybe that's why I love my students so much -- because I do get to "see" them on a regular basis."

Anyone can tell when they meet Mrs. Troxell, even if it isn't in real life, that she has a zeal for life that is contagious.  When asked about any closing comments she said "I feel so blessed to teach for TPS.  When I started teaching a few years ago, I wondered what God had in store for me.  I had never taught home-schooled students before, my working from home brought its own concerns.  But He has met my needs in more ways that I could ever imagine, and I forever will thank Him for this school, my students, and His providential grace that I witness on a daily basis."