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Teacher of the Year
BACKGROUND AND WHAT BROUGHT ME TO TEACHING AND MY CURRENT ROLE:
When I started my undergraduate degree in Biology, I knew I loved science, but I was pretty sure I didn’t want to be a teacher. Both of my parents were teachers and I thought I wanted to do something different with my life. I worked in a lab, I contemplated switching majors to environmental engineering, I wasn’t totally sure where my life in science was going to lead, but I stubbornly didn’t want to go into “the family business” of teaching.
But as a freshman, I also volunteered with a program tutoring at-risk high school students in science. Each week I saw the students I was tutoring grow, and start to engage with me and the science work. I couldn’t deny that there was wonder, and even magic, in helping students love science too. So I enrolled in the UTeach program at the University of Texas, received some amazing science teacher training, and have been in the classroom ever since.
PROCESS THAT LEAD TO TEXAS TEACHER OF THE YEAR:
The path to becoming Texas Teacher of the Year started with my school colleagues recognizing the work I do on my campus and choosing me as the Westwood High School teacher of the year. From there I had to write a lot of essays! Based on those essays, I was selected as the Secondary Teacher of the Year for Round Rock ISD, then again chosen via different essays from all the districts in our region as the Region 13 Secondary Teacher of the Year.
All 40 Elementary and Secondary Regional Teachers of the Year are eligible for State TOY. Six finalists are chosen by a panel of representatives from state teacher professional organizations, then individually interviewed by a different committee of state educational and business leaders. A secondary and elementary teacher of the year are both selected, then one is chosen to be the overall Texas Teacher of Year, and compete for National Teacher of the Year.
ADVICE FOR NEW TEACHERS:
My best advice for new teachers is to build a community and work with a mentor. Find some people in your school you just like to be around, and work to cultivate friendships. Teaching is amazing, but it’s also really challenging. Having a community to decompress with and share strategies with that understand the work of teaching makes a huge difference.
As a new teacher, hopefully you’ll be assigned a mentor - ask lots of questions and don’t be afraid to ask for help. Your mentors want you to be successful and be happy in the classroom.
ADVICE FOR HOW SCHOOL DISTRICTS CAN SUPPORT TEACHERS TO EXCEL:
School districts can support teachers to excel by supporting teachers’ growth on all parts of their career journey. Most districts have new teacher mentoring programs, but teachers also need mentors to grow into department and campus teacher leaders. Teacher leaders are crucial to campuses, especially right now, but teachers need training and mentorship to grow into those PLC or department chair or mentoring leadership roles. The skills to work with adults successfully are different from the skills needed to work with students successfully. Anything districts can do to build teacher leader capacity helps improve morale, retention, and teachers’ feelings of agency in their schools.
