Karyn grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma in the 1960s. Like many of her friends, her father worked in the oil industry (which was booming during this time) and her mother was a “homemaker.” She has one older sister. Karyn grew up knowing both sets of grandparents and even her great-grandmother. Her fondest memories are of the long summer vacations the family took in their pop-up travel trailer and the summer days spent in her Nannee’s backyard pool.
Karyn's Parents at the Grand Canyon
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Karyn (on right) with big sister Nancy
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Karyn's Grandparents
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Ro-Lite Travel Trailer
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Karyn in 2nd grade, the year she "published" her first book.
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Karyn at Nannee's pool
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Karyn has vivid memories of her elementary school years because she loved going to school! She remembers Mrs. Hendricks, her Kindergarten teacher, who played the piano and read aloud to the children as they sat in a circle. In second grade, the class put together a care package for Mrs. VanTuyl’s son who was serving in Vietnam. She recalls Mrs. Bell, her fifth grade teacher who read aloud to the class every day after lunch. She remembers the year Mrs. Saunders handed out shiny pennies to every child who scored 100 on their spelling test (which Karyn always did). It is because of the wonderful teachers and rich experiences she had as a student that Karyn decided to be an elementary school teacher!
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Karyn received her Bachelors and Masters degrees in education from the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Alabama. She taught in Mobile County Public Schools before receiving her Ph.D. from The Florida State University. She has taught at the college level at The University of Texas at Tyler, The University of Texas at San Antonio, and the University of New Orleans. In 1998, she moved back to Alabama and now teaches at The University of South Alabama, her Alma mater!
Karyn is married to Jeff Tunks who is retired from the United States Coast Guard where he was a helicopter rescue swimmer. (That’s how she ended up back in Alabama.) They live in Fairhope and together have three children plus Sami, their rescue 3-legged cat.
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Professional bio for publication:
Dr. Karyn W. Tunks is Professor of Early Childhood and Elementary Education at the University of South Alabama. She teaches courses in Adolescent and Children’s Literature, Elementary Language Arts, and Early Childhood Education. She received her Ph.D. from Florida State University, and M.Ed. and B.S from the University of South Alabama. She has over 25 years of experience teaching preschool through graduate school. Dr. Tunks conducts research and writes on a variety of topics relevant to teaching and learning. She has written four books for early childhood teachers.Her first children’s picture book is titled, “JUBILEE!” and was published in 2012 and a second picture book, "USS Alabama: Hooray for the Mighty A!" was published in 2015.
Dr. Karyn W. Tunks is Professor of Early Childhood and Elementary Education at the University of South Alabama. She teaches courses in Adolescent and Children’s Literature, Elementary Language Arts, and Early Childhood Education. She received her Ph.D. from Florida State University, and M.Ed. and B.S from the University of South Alabama. She has over 25 years of experience teaching preschool through graduate school. Dr. Tunks conducts research and writes on a variety of topics relevant to teaching and learning. She has written four books for early childhood teachers.Her first children’s picture book is titled, “JUBILEE!” and was published in 2012 and a second picture book, "USS Alabama: Hooray for the Mighty A!" was published in 2015.
