A Northwest ISD educator known for helping students decode language recently found herself decoding puzzles on national television – and winning.
Cynthia “Cyndi” Carrick, a dyslexia interventionist at Beck Elementary School, appeared on Wheel of Fortune during the show’s NASCAR Tournament Week, where she took home thousands of dollars and a trip to Daytona Beach, Florida, for the Daytona 500.
For Carrick, language has always been more than a classroom subject. The word-analysis techniques she teaches students every day turned out to be an unexpected advantage under studio lights.
The opportunity began quietly. Carrick applied in March after seeing a social media post encouraging teachers to audition. She submitted a short video and completed interviews in March and August but initially wasn’t selected.
In October, an unexpected email changed everything. Producers asked about her availability for taping weeks, followed shortly by confirmation she would be heading to Los Angeles.
She received the news while working with students and had to keep it confidential – no easy task in an elementary classroom.
“I was in here with my last group,” she said. “One of my little girls was sitting right there, and I got the email and started freaking out.”
Before she went on the show, Carrick did what she normally advises her students to do: studied.
And she studied hard.
Because the tournament featured NASCAR themes, Carrick reviewed racing terms, looked up past episodes dating back to the 1980s and practiced with the show’s mobile app. Her professional training also helped.
As a dyslexia specialist, she routinely teaches students to break words into parts, recognize suffixes and identify spelling patterns – strategies she found herself using instinctively during the game.
“You look at word endings. Is there a suffix? Are there double letters? If there are double letters, the vowel is usually short,” she explained. “English words don’t end in V or J. If you see T-I-O-N, there’s probably an I in there.”
Filming took place in Culver City, California, where Carrick and other contestants rehearsed extensively before taping multiple episodes in a single day.
Carrick said what viewers don’t see is the constant behind-the-scenes activity, including hair and makeup touchups, puzzle checks, camera adjustments and production coordination.
“It’s a little bitty studio, but it takes so many people,” she said. “Between commercials, hair and makeup are fixing you, they’re changing things on the wheel, checking puzzles, adjusting cameras. It’s constant.”
Despite not solving a single puzzle in the practice rounds, she settled in once competition began, solving them consistently while avoiding setbacks like “Bankrupt” or “Lose a Turn.”
Carrick said the moment only felt true when host Ryan Seacrest began chatting with her on set. She also briefly met longtime co-host Vanna White backstage.
“That’s when I thought, ‘Oh my gosh… this is real,’” she said. “He’s such a nice guy.”
Carrick won the first episode she taped, earning her a spot in the next episode. (Click here to see Carrick’s solve the final puzzle of the first episode)
She won the next episode, but couldn’t quite get the final puzzle, which she still laughs about.
However, she still made out with $110,461 in earnings over the week. (Click here to see Carrick’s bonus round puzzle)
After taping, her first calls were to family members, since contestants cannot access phones during filming.
When she made it home, the Beck Elementary community welcomed her with applause and support. Parents shared videos of students cheering and colleagues stopped by with congratulations. Carrick even gave the school a shout-out during one episode.
“We have a great family here at Beck,” she said. “They’ve been so supportive.”
In the true spirit of a teacher, Carrick plans to use part of her winnings to enhance classroom learning experiences.
She collaborates with a colleague on immersive “room transformations,” which are themed educational environments that have previously included pirate ships, jungles and football fields. A racing theme could be next.
“We just want to make learning fun and engaging,” she said.
She and her husband also have in mind some home improvements and a family trip, but she said the experience itself was the greatest reward.
“I’ve always wanted to be on ‘Wheel of Fortune,’” she said. “I watched it with my grandmother when I was little, I watched it with my kids and my husband and I still watch it together now.”
Carrick hopes her story encourages students, especially those with dyslexia, to pursue ambitious goals.
“Don’t be afraid to chase your dreams,” she said. “Put yourself out there. What’s the worst that can happen?”
