Category Archives: Teachers

New and veteran teachers share excitement of the first week of school

Estefania Espindola Garcia with a student at Cunningham ES

Estefania Espindola Garcia with a student at Cunningham ES

A new academic year kicked off on Aug. 25 in the Houston Independent School District, and across the city, both brand-new and veteran teachers were getting to know their students, establishing new routines, and buckling down to the business of learning.

“I am excited and ready to begin a new school year,” declared Rosetta Calhoun, a returning teacher at Sharpstown High School. “I am anticipating the new personalities and challenges I will encounter.” Continue reading →

Lamar HS hosts IB training for 38 Houston-area schools

More than 700 teachers from 38 schools in Houston ISD and surrounding districts got together at Lamar High School on Aug. 7-8 for International Baccalaureate training.

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The districts collaborated on this training because it is cost effective. Workshop leaders came from across the U.S., Canada and Mexico to share their knowledge and experience.
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New Teacher Academy gives district newbies their first look at HISD culture, expectations

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Whether they are new to the classroom or just to HISD, nearly 1,000 eager educators gathered at the Kingdom Builders Center on July 28 to begin the New Teacher Academy in anticipation of the coming school year.

The week-long workshop is held every summer to give the district’s newest recruits a head start on their first day of school—and this year, the focus is on using one’s special talents and stories to forge authentic connections with students.

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Baylor Summer Science Institute giving educators new ways to teach old lessons

All are designed to get elementary and middle school students excited about science and STEM careers

The classroom at Herod Elementary School didn’t have any ring stands available, but that didn’t stop the seventh-grade science teachers in it from completing their experiment on heat and energy at the Baylor Summer Science Institute.

The two-week event, which concludes on July 25, focuses on giving elementary and middle school teachers creative ways to deliver lessons on familiar subjects. And participants displayed that same spirit of ingenuity this year in assembling an acceptable substitute for that basic piece of lab equipment—made from a wet cork, some tin foil, and a coat hanger.

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Bellaire HS debate coach receives two big honors

Jay Stubbs

School may technically be out, but it’s been a busy summer for Jay Stubbs, Bellaire High School’s speech and debate coach. He took a team to nationals, was inducted into the National Forensic League Hall of Fame and received the Texas Bar Association’s Leon Jaworski Award for Teaching Excellence in Law Focused Education – all in June!

“Being inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame and receiving this award from the Texas Bar Association mean so much to me,” Stubbs said. “How lucky I am to receive awards on behalf of the successes of so many of my students.”

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Dynamic keynote speaker praises HISD for its focus on literacy

Dr. Susan Szachowicz knows a thing or two about turning around troubled schools. The retired educator was still a teacher at her alma mater, Brockton High School, in 1999, when the campus was dubbed a “cesspool” by local media as one of the worst-performing schools in Massachusetts.

“Our failure rate was 75 percent in math and 44 percent in English language arts,” said the lifelong Brockton resident. “There was a real culture of low expectations.”

But by maintaining a relentless focus on literacy for the past 15 years, teachers and administrators have completely transformed the campus into a place of “high standards, high expectations, and no excuses.” It is now referred to as “a jewel of the city,” and is routinely cited as a prime example of a successful turnaround school. Continue reading →

All teachers to receive a minimum increase of $1,100 under new HISD salary schedule

The HISD Board of Education last week approved a $1.74 billion budget that includes nearly $30 million that will go directly to teacher salaries. As a result, HISD is adopting a new salary schedule that will benefit all teachers. Under the new schedule, every current teacher, and those teachers hired by July 1, 2014, will see a minimum gain of $1,100. Continue reading →

Love of literacy brings out colorful characters

School leaders dress up as favorite book character to bring attention to importance of reading

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The second day of the HISD Summer Leadership Institute attracted some colorful characters to share their love of reading, including Fancy Nancy, Laura Ingalls Wilder, and Willy Wonka. Continue reading →

Reading Institutes preparing teachers to make the most of Literacy By 3

This summer, thousands of HISD elementary teachers are boning up on the best ways to conduct Guided Reading lessons, manage their students’ independent reading efforts, and even set up their own classrooms to better facilitate learning, as a part of the district’s new Literacy By 3 initiative.

The office of Professional Support and Development is offering multiple sessions of a four-day Reading Institute to teachers in grades K-3 over the next three months so that they’ll be ready to hit the ground running when regular classes resume again in August. Continue reading →

HISD celebrates highly effective teachers with breakfast, district recognition

A group of 27 highly effective teachers from campuses across HISD gathered at district headquarters Wednesday morning for a celebratory breakfast, a photo shoot, and tributes from district leadership.

“We know that nothing is more important than providing our students with great teachers,” said Dr. Rodney Watson, chief human resources officer. “And I can also tell you that teaching is the most difficult job I’ve ever had. I wish we could have brought all of our district’s top teachers together today, because they all deserve to be recognized for their tremendous work.”

HISD Trustee Rhonda Skillern-Jones agreed. “I have such deep respect for the hard work our teachers do every day. The hard and heavy lifting in our district truly takes place in the classrooms.”

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