By Pranathi Chitta
Staff Writer
@prannydacheetah
It is that time of year again for the teachers at Coppell High School to once again be appreciated. On Tuesday, many cheers were heard through the halls of CHS, congratulating 11 teachers who have had a spectacular year in teaching.
“I was very honored,” Spanish teacher Alejandra Romo said. “It’s such a privilege to be nominated because I love what I do and I’ve never been so satisfied.”
Teacher of the Year nominees were nominated through a form that the district put together, which included questions about how teachers interact in their environment and with their students. Teachers who were nominated shared a common passion of helping students and influencing them greatly.
“When I first got the nomination, I was obviously very surprised,” English IV teacher Kim Thibodeaux said. “It’s an honor. I don’t feel deserving of the nomination compared to teachers who have got it in the past. It definitely makes me want to work harder to live upto the expectation that it puts before me. It lets me know that the love I have for my kids isn’t just seen by my kids and by others.”
Counselors, administrators and student media members stopped by each of the nominee’s classrooms during fifth period, delivering balloons, a plaque and an I ROCK CHS shirt. The Teacher of the Year award will be announced during second period on Friday.
“I was very surprised and humbled and pleased.” Forensic Science and Chemistry teacher Susan Sheppard “I am honored to represent the faculty of CHS because all of our teachers are really wonderful.”
The teachers that were nominated teach a wide area of areas from coaching a sport to teaching an AP science class.
“Every teacher who was nominated is very deserving of this honor as they have went above and beyond to design curriculum and develop relationships which will help to grow all learners,” Assistant Principal Melissa Arnold said. “CHS is blessed to have a loving dedicated staff and we are blessed to recognize these 11 teachers this year.”
The nominees for Teacher of the Year were asked why they became a teacher and this is what they said:
Angelina Curtis- “I felt I was called to work with kids. When I was overseas playing softball I took on a job to teach children English and while I was in college I would help at the elementary school and help teachers grade papers, help the kids with homework, and be a reading pal for a few years. I was a mentor with big brother big sis for a few years and also coached many levels of softball. Something was pulling me in..Being with the kids was just rewarding and it always made my day when I got them to smile and really getting to know them-it’s amazes me what a kid will tell you once they know you care and trust you! In the end I decided I wanted to teach because I wanted to be that Chain reaction to someone’s life. I know several teachers are mine!”
Alejandra Romo- “I can name many reasons why I became a teacher, but the main one is the love of learning and sharing that love with my students. It is important to me to share the language and culture behind that language with my students. We are a global society and we must understand and accept those differences.
I feel that learning is a lifelong experience and one that I am pursuing now as I am teaching Spanish Literature for the first time.”
Alexis Glover- “I became a teacher after working with a team of teenagers at a veterinary hospital. Kids who started working as 15 year olds, came back year after year to work part-time, full-time or holidays. I was their boss, confidant, teacher, mentor and eventually, friend. I helped them through their first love woes, parental issues, and homework. Being strong in English, I helped them (more than I should admit) write and revise essays. I helped many of those kids work out their college degree plan and saw them off to college with stars in their eyes. Watching these kids grow into adults was one of the most rewarding things I have ever done, until becoming a “”real”” teacher.
As a teacher, I enjoy witnessing kids discover their own ideals and opinions through literature. Too often they are taught to think in terms of what IS and never question “”Why is this important to ME?”” or “”Do I even agree?””. Compassion is also discovered through the lives and stories of others. Ideally every kid who comes into my classroom would learn to love books as much as I do, but if a kid can leave my room capable of really seeing and appreciating other people’s perspectives, and know that their own opinion matters, I feel I have met my intended purpose.
Although my experience working with teenagers is split into two very different careers, I would not have found teaching without my initial interactions with working-class teens. I come from a family of teachers, I always wanted to be a teacher when I was younger. Somehow, even though my heart led me away from teaching and toward my love of animals, it just as naturally led me right back to where I feel I am truly meant to be. I have followed my heart and that is how I became a teacher.”
Kirk Richardson—When I was in high school and college I saw some bad teachers but I saw some great teachers and seeing how they made a difference in students’ lives; I knew then what I wanted to do!”
Bill Visco- “Besides loving to make and cultivate new relationships, I had a teacher (Mrs. Ellis) who awoke a fire inside me and showed me the value of Literature and History within the context of my life and that of society as a whole, since then I have yearned to inspire that same passion within others and what better way than to be a teacher.”
Chase Wofford- “Like I tell my students, it is important to choose a career where you enjoy coming to work each day. Teaching makes me happy as I look forward to school days and working with this age group of students. I love the challenge of teaching and advising The Sidekick newspaper. You have to find different ways to make a connection to students because each person is unique with their own story. So often, people talk about a teacher making a difference in a student’s life but I really feel it’s the students making the impact on my life. I feel an obligation to them by working as hard as I possibly can so that they can be successful.”
Dayna Bryant- “For days like these :-)and being a part of the future””
Dianne De Waal- “I became a teacher to make my dad proud. He thought it was the greatest profession on earth. Turns out, he was right!”
Kirk Richardson- “When I was in high school and college I saw some bad teachers but I saw some great teachers and seeing how they made a difference in students’ lives; I knew then what I wanted to do!”
Kim Thibodeaux- “I became a teacher so that I could make students feel smart, feel good about themselves, to help them see the value in literature and art and how they can help make us better human beings, better people in the roles they will play throughout their lives.”
Susan Sheppard- “Because I love opening my learners’ eyes to the wonder of how everything works and how they can use that knowledge to change their worlds.”
Zach Sherman- “1. I love writing, and I wanted to spend my days teaching it. 2. My senior English teacher. She ran a class that made me feel like my thoughts were taken seriously, and I want to do that for others.”
