Braeburn Elementary School teacher Sandy Trejo was not expecting the sights and sounds that greeted her when she stepped outside of the school on Tuesday.
As students waved handmade signs of congratulations, a mini parade of brightly decorated cars snaked through the parking lot, blaring their horns to honor the first-grade ESL teacher as the district’s Teacher of the Month for May.
Continue readingTwelve educators have been named as HISD’s 2020-2021 Elementary and Secondary Teachers of the Year finalists, and two teachers have been named the Beginning Teachers of the Year.
The two Teacher of the Year winners will go on to represent the district in Region IV. The 12 finalists were selected from all 280 schools based on performance data and other criteria.
At the elementary level, the six Teacher of the Year finalists are:
Continue readingHouston Independent School District will recognize its nearly 12,000 teachers during Teacher Appreciation Week, May 3 through 7.
The week is a part of a nationwide campaign spearheaded by the National Parent Teacher Association.
“Our teachers truly are the heart and soul of HISD,” Interim Superintendent Dr. Grenita Lathan said. “Over the past year, teachers have stepped up as true team players for our students and families. Teachers have transitioned to virtual learning and back again, often teaching two classes at once—one at home and one in-person.”
To celebrate the week, HISD is launching a campaign that focuses on these All Stars—and students, staff, parents, and the community are invited to participate through social media.
Continue readingNext spring, HISD will be participating in the Texas Education Agency’s Teacher Incentive Allotment, a program that aims to help districts boost student success while also recruiting and retaining high-quality educators.
HISD is eager to be a part of this program because it will help increase salaries for the district’s highest performing teachers — at little-to-no cost to the district — while also ensuring students have equitable access to the most effective teachers.
Continue readingTwelve Houston Independent School District teachers are being honored by Children’s Museum Houston for being outstanding educators.
The museum’s annual Marian and Speros Martel Early Childhood Educator Award is for pre-K through third-grade teachers who exemplify excellence in the classroom.
Continue readingIf you ask Shalisha Kemp why she loves teaching, she’ll tell you it’s because of her “Peter Pan mindset.”
“You have to think like a child to reach out to children, to be able to guide them, to lead them to greater success in adulthood,” Kemp said.
Whatever it may be that sets her apart, it is certainly working.
The second-grade teacher at The Rice School was named HISD’s Teacher of the Month for March, with a surprise parade at her school.
Continue readingIn the sunny courtyard of Blackshear Elementary, Tanya Fontaine Clark stood speechless for a few moments before elaborating on her passion for her job—and the school she calls home.
“My mother was a teacher. I guess I’m a chip off the old block,” Clark said. “I wanted to give back. I wanted to enrich the lives of the children at Blackshear.”
The third-generation educator had just received the award for January’s Achieve 180 Dedicated Associate Teacher of the Month. It was just one of the stops of the day for Human Resources , as they also surprised the December and January Associate Teachers of the Month and Achieve 180 Dedicated Associate Teachers of the Month.
Continue readingOn a chilly Tuesday morning at Eliot Elementary School, fourth-grade ELA teacher Fernando Lopez was teaching his students how to analyze a story when he was suddenly summoned to the school parking lot for a special surprise.
Cars covered in painted messages and decorations drove by Lopez, cheering him on for being named HISD’s January Teacher of the Month – not only for effectively teaching his students English, but also for helping them develop a love of reading. As a thank-you for his hard work, he will be driving a 2021 Honda CR-V, courtesy Sterling McCall Honda.
An alumnus of Eliot Elementary School, Lopez has dedicated the last 22 years to helping ensure his students grow in their acquisition of a second language and their ability to effectively read and communicate through writing.
Continue readingFifth-grade math teacher Jennifer Harwell was teaching her students at Robinson Elementary School how to multiply decimals when she was pulled out of her classroom for a special surprise.
Harwell was named HISD’s December Teacher of the Month for making learning about numbers exciting for all students, even those who may not always enjoy math. As a thank you for her hard work, this holiday season, she will be driving a 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV LT, courtesy Sterling McCall Chevrolet.
Harwell is also a team lead for fifth grade and ensures her team works cohesively and actively collaborates with other grade levels to align instruction and good practices. This year, she has taken on the role of Career Pathways Instructional Excellence Coach and is working to coach new teachers on effective practices and quality instruction for all students.
Continue readingFifth-grade language arts and social studies teacher Molly Lashway thought she was finishing up a conference with her principal when she saw a parade of decorated vehicles coming around the corner outside.
As cars covered in colorful balloons and streamers rolled past to the sound of happy music, Walnut Bend Elementary School Principal Michele Dahlquist revealed to Lashway that she had been named the district’s November Teacher of the Month.
“I had no idea that this was happening this morning,” Lashway said. “I’m just glad I didn’t come to school dressed like a pilgrim today, because that was something that I considered for the day before Thanksgiving Break. But I’m really grateful for all of this.”
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