Mrs. Whitney McDonald

This is just my fourth year to live in Hallsville and work in Hallsville ISD. I have enjoyed getting to know everyone and all things Bobcats. It just so happens that purple is my favorite color. In 2023, I switched from my 20+ year social studies comfort zone back to my roots as an English Language Arts/Reading teacher and have loved every minute of it. I love sharing some of my favorite novels and poems with my sixth graders and showing them tricks to become better writers. I also teach a gifted and talented advisory/WIN class.

Before moving here, I taught for 25 years at EJ Moss Intermediate in Lindale ISD. Over the years I taught language arts, science, social studies, and was the 4th-6th grade gifted and talented teacher for my last three years there.

I am a Baylor University 1996 graduate--Sic 'em Bears--and grew up in the tiny town of Eastland in central Texas where my graduating class had a whopping 52 kids in it!

My husband Chris and I just celebrated our two-year anniversary on July 22 and have four daughters and four grandchildren. We are one big happy blended family. My oldest, Kelsey (27 in Nov), lives in Killeen/Fort Hood with the love of her life, Otis, and their children, Eli (9 in Dec), Christina (7 in Dec), Lincoln (2 in Nov), and Eddie (one in Jan). She's an emergency room nurse and also a graduate student in a prestigious online program with Georgetown University in Washington, DC., and he's in the army. Next is Makenna (24 in Jan), also lives in Killeen and just got promoted to Clinic Admissions Associate for the Action Behavior Center that provides behavior therapies for preK kids with autism. My bonus girls are Margeaux, a sophomore at HHS who plays on the golf team and Blaique, a 4th grader at East Elementary; they both play softball.

I enjoy family dinners at home but also like eating at our favorite Longview restaurants, such as Don Benito's, Bubba's 33, and Kumori. Our patio is our favorite spot where we have a perfect view of the sunset every night. We are mostly homebodies but do enjoy having friends and family over. We also love going to concerts in all different places and have been to see Brooks & Dunn/Reba McEntire (Las Vegas), Luke Combs/Ashley McBryde (Vegas), Jason Aldean/Gabby Barrett (Tulsa, OK), Journey/Toto (NOLA--one of our favorite places), Jason Aldean/Chase Rice (Nashville), Shenandoah/Billy Dean (Shreveport) and Bryan Adams/Joan Jett (Fort Worth) in the past three years. In May we are planning our fourth cruise which will be for Chris' 50th birthday. In addition to traveling, I like to read-especially historical nonfiction, complete jigsaw and Sudoku puzzles, and drink coffee on my patio. I love finding unique coffee mugs to add to my collection, as well as interesting stickers that fit my personality to add to my classroom desk.

I'm looking forward to another awesome year with Hallsville 6th graders! This is my 30th year in education, so let's make it amazing!