TEXTESOL TEACHER OF THE YEAR
The TexTESOL V Teacher of the Year is an annual award given to an exemplary English Language Teacher (K-12/college/university) from the North Texas area. A call for nominations is open each year shortly before our annual conference.
TexTESOL V recognizes TESOL educators in the following areas: Elementary Ed., Secondary Ed, and Higher Ed./Adult Ed. The nominees will be honored at the TexTESOL V Regional Conference.
CONGRATULATIONS
2024 TEXTESOL TEACHERS OF THE YEAR
Anayeli Adame
Dual Language Teacher
1st Grade Self-Contained
Rosamond-Sherley Elementary
School, Anna ISD
2024 Award Recipient
My name is Anayeli Adame. I am currently teaching 1st grade in Anna ISD, and this is my 7th year as a teacher. Growing up I always knew I wanted to be a teacher. I love growing relationships with my students because I’ve learned that is how they learn the most. I love watching the “aha” moments when they grasp a concept. I currently live in Melissa with my husband and 1 year old baby Sebastian! I am honored to have been chosen as the recipient of this award
Cynthia Silva
ESL Teacher
Newcomers
Richland Middle School, Birdville ISD
2024 Award Recipient
Cynthia Lynn Silva has been a public educator over the past seventeen years. Her educational journey began in Pasadena, Texas working with at risk students at Burnett Elementary School. She relocated to Fort Worth, TX in 2011 where she and her husband, Jeremy married and started a family. Mrs. Silva obtained her ESL certification in 2012 and eagerly began studying the Spanish language to communicate with the high-volume Latino population in Birdville ISD. Mrs. Silva has created impactful lessons for her students to learn English as a Second Language and help them acclimate to the United States culture and public school system. She coordinates an annual Heritage Night Celebration at Richland Middle School where she, her family, and her fellow educators bring the students, parents, and community together. Mrs. Silva’s accomplishments include Richland Middle School Teacher of the Year, BISD Secondary Teacher of the Year, PTA Big Heart Award, and TexTESOL V Middle School Teacher of the Year.
Seth Ross
ESL Teacher
ESOL 1 & 2, ESL English 3 & 4, and ESL Interventionist
Denton High School, Denton ISD
2024 Award Recipient
I grew up in the community of Ysleta in El Paso, TX and graduated from Ysleta HS in 1991. I lived on the US-Mexico border for the first 18 years of my life and have always celebrated bilingualism and the power of ESL students. I graduated with a BS in Political Science from Texas Woman’s University in 1999. I started teaching immediately after. In 2020, I graduated with a MEd in Reading Education with a focus on multilingualism and translanguaging from Texas Woman’s University as part of the ELLEVATE! Grant to focus upon excellence in teaching for our Emergent Bilingual students at Denton High School. I just completed my 24th year of teaching, with 10 of those years at Denton High School, 10 years at Lewisville HS North, Lewisville HS Killough (where I began teaching ESL English), and Lewisville HS Harmon. Prior to that, I taught at the Denton County Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Program. I am returning to teach next year at Denton High School. I am proud to have spent my career advocating and ensuring that Emergent Bilingual students receive the best education possible and are able to access the very best opportunities to achieve their dreams.
Past Winners of the TexTESOLV Teacher of the Year Award
Monica Hughes
Pre-K Teacher
Denton ISD
2023 Award Recipient
Monica Hughes illustrates rare excellence in her 20+ year career as an early childhood ESL educator. She shines in the way she teaches English Language Learners from various home language backgrounds. As a trained opera singer, she uses her musical talents to create engaging English language instruction for her students. The four- and five-year-old students in her class are regularly engaged in innovative and creative learning that also involves their families, using art, music, and dance.
Mrs. Hughes shows that she cares deeply for her students–their education, their biliteracy development, and their cultural identity. She has partnered with families to create multilingual word walls in her class so every child’s language is represented. She makes sure she has books that represents all children’s languages and she also works with parents to help them understand the importance of biliteracy. She has implemented an ABC book project where she learned about each child’s languages, cultures, interests, and families. Then, she selected a special ABC book for each child based off of that information. She gave each child the book to keep at home. The families then created their own page in her class ABC book, showing pride in who they are.
Her outstanding teaching, professional learning, and collaboration with others show true innovation, creativity, and excellence in the TESOL field.
Evan Pritchard
Adult ESL and Literacy Teacher
Arlington ISD
2023 Award Recipient
Mr. Pritchard has been teaching ESL to adult learners for over 21 years. In 2002, he began teaching adult ESL learners in the Family Literacy Program, a community-based program designed for parents of children who attend Title 1 schools in Arlington ISD. Mr. Pritchard knows that it is extremely important for parents of children who speak a second language to be able to help their children as well as advocate for them at school, so he serves his students and this community by supporting and teaching parents how to effectively communicate not only with their own children but also with the school and school system. Mr. Pritchard is always finding creative ways to teach English to parents by focusing his classes on parenting through learning English. He also takes his students to the surrounding libraries and points of importance so that they know about the resources that exist for them in Arlington.
Mr. Pritchard’s contribution to the Family Literacy Program is immeasurable. He exemplifies everything an ESL teacher for adults and parents should be.
Rita Lasuzzo
Sheltered English IV Teacher
Lewisville ISD
2023 Award Recipient
Rita is a mentor and servant leader. She is the first person to step up and try something new if there is any chance it will make a difference for her students. She is incredibly passionate about helping her students and even after 48 years of classroom experience, she is willing to do whatever it takes to reach them and ensure they are successful. Rita opens her classroom to anyone who can come observe, give her feedback, or gather ideas. She spends every summer working with EB students as well helping them get the credits they need to graduate.
Roberta "Birdie" Brazil
ESOL Teacher
Lewisville ISD
2022 Award Recipient
Birdie Brazil is a dedicated professional who is patient and kind and loves her ESL students. She has been a teacher at SOAR (Supporting Overall Academic Readiness) Academy for many summers which is a summer language enrichment program. She volunteers for many clubs, activities, and functions outside of school hours that promote diverse cultures for our school and for her church. Mrs. Brazil’s students love her because she helps them in her class and cares about them outside of the class as well. Birdie goes above and beyond for her students as well as her fellow teachers and is known as being one of the kindest, generous, best teachers on our campus.
Ana Vizcaya Vazquez
Language Acquisition Specialist
Coppell ISD
2022 Award Recipient
Ana’s advocacy for emergent bilinguals in our special programs have made the difference in the lives of our learners in Denton Creek. She serves kids in the Early Childhood Program, the DLI Program, the Special Ed program, as well as students in the Gifted and Talented program and the Dyslexia Program. This could be considered a challenge, but not for Ana. She has developed efficient and meaningful ways to collaborate with educators, coaches, and administrators to provide the best learning experiences for our learners. She has gone above and beyond her duties to support our campus. Her passion for bilingualism, biliteracy, and biculturalism has become an asset in our campus. Our families feel supported with the efforts and initiatives designed by Ana, such as language clubs for our learners and one on one sessions with newcomers.
