| Teachers build a legacy lesson by lesson, and so it was at this month's Katy Area Chamber of Commerce luncheon. | |
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The chamber honored 47 Katy ISD teachers of the year at a sold-out Merrell Center on Sept. 21 after its members got an inspiring lesson from a teacher outside the district. Leslie Milder and her husband founded the nonprofit Friends of Texas Public Schools on her belief the media was unfairly portraying teachers and the educational system as a failure. "I was sick and tired of being picked on," Milder said. "I would teach all day and I'd come home exhausted and pull out that big stack of papers to grade for the day and I'd turn on the evening news and there it was - public schools failing, kids are graduating that can't read. |
"The negative news and the perception of teaching is affecting our ability to attract and retain quality educators." Milder fought back, noting Texas is ranked first, second and third in the nation in fourth and eighth grade test scores by the National Assessment of Educational Progress. But her message didn't just come from stats. The highlight of her address was a story about a turquoise glass serving dish given to her by Laura, one of her students in her first year of teaching who was "twice my size and very opinionated." Milder said Laura lived with her grandfather because her mother was in prison for doing heroin. She didn't know who her father was and she was forced to steal to provide for herself and her younger sister. "I started to think, 'How does she come here every day and focus on what I have to teach her when she has this going on in her life?'" At times standoffish, Laura dropped by to see Milder before and after school and even in the semester in which Laura did not take Milder's class. One Christmas, Laura gave Milder a gift - one Milder said she'll never forget. "It's not the most expensive gift I've ever gotten, but it is without a doubt the most special," she said. "I use it every year on Thanksgiving to remind me not what I taught the first year, but what I learned from Laura." "Public education gave Laura a safe place to come every day ... where we build her confidence. Where she could support herself and not make the mistakes of her parents. That is what we gave her, and that is what is not reflected in the media." After Milder's speech, Katy ISD Communications Director Kris Taylor named the teachers of the year. Ramona Mateer, a fifth-grade science teacher at Rylander Elementary, was named Elementary District Teacher of the Year, Katy Junior High Texas history teacher Charlie Barthelemy was honored as the Secondary District Teacher of the Year award and Teresa Mustion a first-grade teacher at Franz Elementary was tapped as the Bilingual District Teacher of the Year. Lorelei Scatamacchia a second-grade Creech Elementary teacher and Katy Junior High's seventh grade math teacher Rachel Grubb were named outstanding first-year teachers in elementary and secondary schools respectively. Another notable was John Irish a 10th grade world history teacher who received the first teacher of the year award at Seven Lakes High School. "I always tell my students I wouldn't be here if I didn't want to be" he said. Katy ISD Teachers of the Year Ramona Mateer Charlie Barthelemy Teresa Mustion Lorelei Scatamacchia Rachel Grubb Carol Cornelius Darlene Stacy Nicole Morgan Cindy Williams Katy McKeever JoAnne Flamm Sonja Pixley Becky Christian Angie Lindloff Elsa Villarreal Anne Ahnberg Pam Stone Angela Cabello Lauri Steinke Jenny Durkin Patricia Hall Mary Joshua Marcy Rose-Moehnke Chiqui Fey Lisa Bunting Pam Boyd Marcia Hrncir Elise Jacobson W Randi Sosa Joe Virant Suzanne Huffman Jerry Miller Judy Bou Kheir Regina Nelson Sherri Walsh Jon Hesterman Ricky Scearce Roger Reaves High Debbie Fait Bill Hollis Lara Gandre Katy Pantzar Kenny Price Jane Hoskins Jackie Green John Irish April Jatzlau Original Article Located at: http://www.hcnonline.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17253379&BRD=1574&PAG=461&dept_id=532254&rfi=6 |
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