Stars of their Campuses

TYLER ISD | HONORING EDUCATORS

Tyler ISD to announce elementary, secondary Teachers of the Year tonight

Tyler Independent School District will announce its 2018 Teachers of the Year at its annual Teacher of the Year Banquet 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Green Acres Baptist Church CrossWalk Conference Center.

Each campus selected a Teacher of the Year nominee, and from that group, one nominee from each school level will be announced as Teacher of the Year for that level. The honor is awarded to teachers who exemplify extraordinary models of leadership and excellence in teaching that ultimately helps create successful student outcomes.

Banquet guests will include Tyler ISD school board members, staff, administrators, teachers, sponsors and members of the community.

ELEMENTARY CAMPUS TEACHER OF THE YEAR

These are this year’s nominees, along with their own words about teaching.

T.J. Austin Elementary School, Gracia L. Hidalgo — Bilingual Kindergarten

Teaching is more than just a means of earning an income. It is an opportunity to make changes in society by serving as a student’s companion in the learning process. As teachers of this millennium, we need to target the integral development of our students. Love, compassion, and values promote camaraderie and solidarity among diverse people and contribute to mutual understanding to enhance the intellectual and physical development of our students.

Bell Elementary Global Communications Academy, Anais Favela — 5th Grade Bilingual Self-Contained

Being a teacher means believing that every child is capable of achieving their full potential. It means impacting the lives of our youth to become successful, independent learners. Teaching is motivating, educating and empowering the future leaders of tomorrow.

Birdwell Elementary School, Lizet Zavala — 4th Grade Dual Language Teacher Self-Contained

Teaching is helping students overcome their barriers in order to reach their fullest potential. Teaching is informing, guiding, individualizing, and accommodating based on a student’s needs in order to help them become their own problem solvers in the community.

Bonner Elementary School, Denise Hawk — 2nd Grade Math & Science

Teaching is doing all I can to change the world … one child at a time.

Wayne D. Boshears Center for Exceptional Programs, Shanda Warren — 2nd-4th Grades

Teaching at Boshears is unlike any experience I’ve ever had. In our program for students with severe and profound needs, we see progress in tiny achievements that to some might seem small and insignificant, but because we know our students so well, we see these tiny achievements for the HUGE milestones that they really are. We CELEBRATE those milestones, because learning is happening at the most fundamental of levels!

Caldwell Elementary Arts Academy, Yvonne Malmstrom — 3rd Grade Math and Science

From the caring nature of Mrs. Jenkins to the storytelling of Mrs. Wylie to the encouragement to push the limits in journalism with Ms. Roberts, these teachers and many more were and are who I aspire to be like as a teacher. Each one of these amazing teachers made my love for learning and my desire to reach the lives of children grow. Being a teacher means I get to ignite the spark of creativity, imagination, learning, leadership and friendship in each child that walks through my door, just as my teachers did for me.

Clarkston Elementary School, Emily Bennett — 4th Grade English, Language Arts and Social Studies

I became a teacher because of all the dedicated educators who made a difference in my life. The collective role they played in pushing me to grow, rather than accepting mediocrity, is one of the driving forces behind what I do each day.

Dixie Elementary School, Crystal Porche — 5th Grade Math

Being a teacher means providing each student with a fun, inviting and loving environment to learn and grow not just as students, but people. My math methods professor inspired me to want to teach math. She taught me to help students to not only understand the how, but the why behind math problems. I try to take that into my classroom each and every day.

Douglas Elementary School, Cecilia Salgado — 3rd Grade Bilingual

Being a teacher means I can touch the lives of many people. I have the honor and responsibility to support parents with the shaping of their children and the foundation of our community. Throughout my life, I had the fortune of having several wonderful

teachers who inspired me to consider education as a profession. But my greatest inspiration is Jesus Christ; He is the Teacher of Excellence.

Griffin Elementary School, Ana Jimenez — 2nd Grade Math and Science

The most fulfilling thing for me as a teacher is when I’ve been working diligently with a struggling student to meet his learning needs, and they finally have a breakthrough. I love children and my greatest joy is to help them achieve success, boost their self-esteem and arm them with strategies for future academic achievement. I feel like as a teacher I’m helping with my small contribution to ensure my students become successful professionally and socially.

Dr. Bryan C. Jack Elementary School, Tiffany Brower — 1st Grade

Being a teacher means sharing one’s knowledge, experiences, thoughts, and ideas with the people around them. I enjoy helping my first graders grow academically, socially, emotionally, and behaviorally throughout the school year. My class is a school family, and we are constantly learning important life lessons through our daily interactions.

Jones Elementary MST Academy, Shirley Petkovich — Pre-Kindergarten

The most rewarding thing about teaching for me is the excitement I see in children when they learn new things. They are naturally inquisitive and eager to learn. They get so excited about new ideas, new stories, new dances, etc., they want to run up and hug me after almost every lesson. There could not be a more rewarding career!

A.W. Orr Elementary School, Elva Luce — 2nd Grade Math and Science

It is a great honor to teach the leaders of tomorrow, but with great honor comes great responsibility. The students we teach are the footprints of our educational legacy. Today’s students will establish the direction of our country tomorrow.

Owens Elementary School, Nikki Berryhill — K-5th Grade Special Education

Teaching provides the opportunity to positively impact young lives in the classroom. My goal as an educator is to prepare children for success and encourage them to reach their full potential. Their successes are my successes.

W.A. Peete Elementary School, Katrina Dews — 4th Grade

Being an effective teacher means to create a vision for learning where the foundation is built on hard work, dedication, determination, and meaningful experiences. I also believe that teachers are responsible for “planting the seed” in the students and equipping them with tools to grow in the future. I contribute to my educational environment by teaching, training, and transforming the lives of my students every day.

Ramey Elementary School, Marchetta Macon — 3rd Grade Reading

Being a teacher means that I have an opportunity to help a child reach his or her highest potential. When my students get excited about their progress, it becomes inspiration for me to fuel their fire.

Rice Elementary School, Angula Humphrey — 3rd Grade Math and Science

Being a teacher is much more than credentials, experience and intelligence. The art of teaching incorporates the building of positive relationships in a risk free, empathetic environment where students experience and benefit from heartfelt, genuine acts of love, concern and understanding.

St. Louis Early Childcare Center, Araceli Ledesma — Head Start

Being a teacher means making a difference in the children that walk through the classroom door and showing them a love for learning. I believe a teacher should have a school family atmosphere, have high expectations for the students, and be knowledgeable not only about the content but about the student’s lives.

TARGET, Kimberly Howard — 3rd Grade

My philosophy of education is firmly planted in serving children by meeting them where they are and taking them to places they thought they could never go. It is my goal to find individualized lessons that motivate each child to work to their fullest potential. This love for teaching and children was instilled in me from my father who has always cared about molding future generations.

Andy Woods Elementary School, Caitlin Jiral — Kindergarten

For me, being a teacher means creating a positive and safe environment, while setting a culture of high expectations. My ultimate goal as an educator is to give my students the skills to become independent and take responsibility for their learning.

SECONDARY CAMPUSES Boulter Middle School, Karen Norman — 6th-8th Grade Band

Teaching means setting a high standard and challenging your students to reach it. You must show them as many examples of that standard as you can. Finally, you must be willing to put in the hard work and time required to help them reach that high standard.

Dogan Middle School, Taylor Brown — 7th-8th Grade Science

Teaching is an act of service. It means that I get to help people of the less experienced variety. It is a pleasure and honor to aid my students in developing thinking skills, organization techniques and mindsets that will aide them in their pursuit of success both presently and in the future.

Early College High School, Mel Silva — 10th-11th Chemistry Pre-AP and AP Physics 1

Teaching to me is the best profession in the world, it is not a profession of those who “can’t” but those who “make.” We make students believe in themselves when no one else will, we make students read, write, and understand the world in which they live through science and math, we make students question and grow not just pass. I am proud to be teacher and to have taught all the students that have come into my classroom.

James S. Hogg Middle School, Britany Chamlee — 6th Grade English Language Arts and Reading

I grew up in my mother’s classroom. I witnessed her motivate and inspire children to not only dream, but to succeed. I always knew I wanted to do the same!

Hubbard Middle School, Casey Graves — 6th Grade English Language Arts and Reading

I am proud to be called a teacher, and immensely honored to represent Hubbard Middle School. Every day, I have the opportunity to be part of a kid’s life, and that is something that I deeply treasure. I consider myself the luckiest teacher in the world.

Robert E. Lee High School, Marty Germany — 11th Grade U.S. History/AP U.S. History; 9th-12th Men’s Soccer

Being a teacher has been more than I ever thought it would be when I started this journey. I have been able to influence so many kids over the last 22 years and the joy of hearing about the successes of my current and former students and players brings me joy. Their successes make the all the extra hours worthwhile.

Moore MST Magnet School, Ivan Magnuson — 8th Grade Science, Integrated Physics and Chemistry Enrichment

My parents, Drs. Charles and Denise Magnuson, served their community in a multitude of ways. I wanted to find a way to serve my community as they did. I chose teaching.

RISE Academy, Christina Babino — 9th10th Grade Special Education

My father, who has served as an educator for nearly 30 years, was my initial source of inspiration to teach. In turn, I believe as an educator my genuine purpose has been to be a source of inspiration to those I serve through meaningful rapports and connections I create with them as individuals. Mindfulness and compassion is key.

Three Lakes Middle School, Cindy Loughmiller — 8th Grade U.S. History

Thinking about what influenced me to become a teacher, I can’t pinpoint just one person. I just KNEW it was a calling for me — the feeling of the classroom, the love from teachers over the years, the encouragement I received at home — these factors shaped me as a person and guided me to the profession. Due to life circumstances, it took me a while to get my degree — but I’ve never doubted this was, and is, the path I was meant to take.

John Tyler High School, April Caldwell — 9th-12th Debate, AVID 2, and AVID 4

In 1989, a teacher left the solitude of her free time during recess to join a lonely, fidgety, and academically struggling fifth grade student as she sat alone under a tree. I was that fifth grade student who already felt like a failure, but Mrs. Anderson poured time, knowledge and opportunities into my life and helped instill a belief in myself and my abilities. Her influence is part of the passion I take into my profession as I get to invest in students and see that spark of belief as their capabilities ignite and grow.