Texas Teacher of the Year 2021

Official Announcement of Winner Coming Soon

The Votes Have Been Tallied: Sarah Sutar Is 2021's Texas Teacher of the Year

Please join us in extending our warmest congratulations to Sarah Sutar of Sienna Crossing Elementary School in Houston, Texas. As one of our six deserving finalists, we are proud to announce that Sarah has been awarded the title of 2021 Texas Teacher of the Year. Texas Teachers is honored to gift Sarah a $5,000 prize for her outstanding work as a first-year teacher. We are exceptionally proud she forms part of our Texas Teachers’ family!

 

Meet Our Finalists

Jessica Aleman


From Spring, TX
Certification Area: Core Subjects EC-6
1st Grade Teacher
Hirsch Elementary
Spring ISD

- "Jessica is a dedicated, innovative, and inspiring teacher. Her classroom environment is phenomenal. She created centers and spaces for students to do specific activities. She made them as inviting as possible, so students will be engaged in their work."

- Principal

Sarah Sutar


From Houston, TX
Certification Area: Core Subjects EC-6
5th-Grade Math / Science Teacher
Sienna Crossing Elementary
Fort Bend ISD

- "Sarah provides that positive support daily. She gives every single child her very best each day while instilling a love of learning, making it both fun and meaningful. Her love of learning combined with her life long learning mentality makes her an excellent role model for our 5th graders."

- Principal

Ernesto Jacinto


From San Antonio
Certification Area: SPED EC-12
Hidden Forest
North East ISD


- "Ernesto is such a joy to have on campus and is well respected by the students, parents, faculty and Community. He is dedicated to the students, lessons and families and spends countless hours ensuring the needs of all students are being met.

- Principal

Natalie Parisi


From Dallas, TX
Certification Area: Special Education
k-5th Grade Special Education
Nichols Elementary
Frisco ISD

- " Natalie bring a smile to everyone. Her excellent rapport with her students, parents, and teammates. Natalie has the willingness to take on any responsibility assigned, and maintains a positive attitude connected to all aspects of her position."

- Principal

Ruth Escorza Romero


From El Paso, TX
Certification Area: Bilingual Education Supplemental Core Subjects(EC-6)
3rd-Grade Bilingual Teacher
Gonzalo and Sofia Garcia Elementary
Canutillo ISD


- "Ruth goes above and beyond. Who doesn't like to begin the day with the teacher greeting the children joyously with a resounding "GOOD MORNING BOYS AND GIRLS, HOW IS EVERYONE?!!!, and with music playing in the background that is related to the objective of the day? If the subject was weather, you could hear a song about the weather in the background and when the children joined online, she would begin by asking, "Who can tell me what we will be learning about today?" and then the guessing would begin. Once that was established, one student was chosen to begin their "breathing exercises" in order to be able to "focus" on the lesson. After that, the race was on! She has a way of keeping the children on screen and engaged throughout the lessons"

- Principal

Melissa Salas


From Denton, TX
Certification Area: Core Subjects K -6
KindergartenTeacher
Ann Windle School for Young Children
Denton ISD

- "Melissa is a wonderful and kind hearted person who radiates a passion for providing her students with the best education possible. Melissa's campus / classroom received extensive damage from the ice storm but she continues to guide the school and students by keeping a positive attitude and adapted to the current situation with grace and elegance. "

- Principal

Teacher of the Year Guidelines

Mark your calendars with the deadlines listed below:

Nominee

To qualify, Principals or Field Supervisors must nominate their choice for Texas Teacher: Teacher of the Year by Thursday, April 16.

 

 

Finalist

Make sure to cast your votes for Texas Teachers: Teacher of the Year during the dates of April 19th – April 30th. Finalists will be announced here, so be sure to bookmark the page and check back!

(One vote per device)

Winner

The Texas Teachers: Teacher of the Year winner will receive a grand prize of $5,000. Runners up will also be awarded prizes. The winners are announced from
May 3rd – May 7th.

Meet 2020's Recipient

Kathryn Marie Haynes

 

Nominating a Teacher of the Year is an important tradition here at Texas Teachers. We are provided with an opportunity to give back to our amazing candidates who are truly helping change the future for the better. Meet Kathryn Marie Haynes, our 2020 Teacher of the Year for a sneak peek of the incredible accomplishments carried out by our teachers. We are so proud to have Kathryn as part of our Texas Teachers family! Read more.

Past Texas Teachers of the Year

Kathleen Menchaca
Second Grade Bilingual Spanish Teacher
Jones Elementary
Bryan ISD, Bryan TX

Kathleen Menchaca was selected out of more than 6,000+ teachers in our program as the winner of our Texas Teachers: Teacher of the Year 2019 award with a grand prize of $5,000!

- 2019 Texas Teacher of the Year

Joshua Martin
First-grade teacher
Frost Elementary
Houston ISD, Houston, TX

Joshua Martin was selected out of more than 6,000+ teachers in our program as the winner of our Texas Teachers: Teacher of the Year 2018 award with a grand prize of $5,000!

- 2018 Texas Teacher of the Year

Erica Villanueva
Special Education/English
Ysleta High School
Ysleta ISD, El Paso, TX

Erica Villanueva was selected out of more than 6,000+ teachers in our program as the winner of our Texas Teachers: Teacher of the Year 2017 award with a grand prize of $5,000!

- 2017 Texas Teachers of the Year

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