Texan of the Month-Teresa Isarraraz

The Wimberley Independent School District honored Teresa Isarraraz, an English as a Second Language Aide at Blue Hole Primary school, in April. She was awarded the district’s “Texan of the Month” honor.

Texan of the Month honorees are nominated by WISD co-workers for positively exemplifying the district’s vision of excellence, innovation and service.

Mrs. Isarraraz, or “Mrs. I,” as the BHP students call her, has been with WISD for four years as an ESL Aide, working mostly with students who are learning the English language and who need additional support. Generally she works with native Spanish speakers, but has even worked with a student from Ukraine who only spoke Russian.

Mrs. Isarraraz said she was shocked to receive the honor, “Never did I expect this honor to be bestowed upon me,” she said. “I come in every day hoping to just make a small difference in my kids’ lives and provide them with opportunities to learn and to strive to be the best they can be.”

Mrs. Isarraraz was nominated by BHP teacher Maria Montes, who shared a touching story about Mrs. I connecting with a student on a personal level. The student was a second-grader who was struggling to complete his homework, partly because his support system at home was struggling with the language barrier.

In her nomination, Ms. Montes wrote, “‘Mrs. I’ got the student to start a routine of doing his homework and turning it in on time. In return, she promised the student a “surprise.” She noticed that he loved Pokemon, and when she gave him a Pokemon surprise, he was thrilled.”

“This story is not about giving students gifts so that they turn in homework, but it is about how a teacher gets to know their students and their home situation enough to understand what will work for them. The student learned motivation and learned that doing his homework was an expectation he could achieve,” Montes continued.

Along with the honor of being named Texan of the Month, each award recipient receives a $250 cash gift from a community sponsor, as well as a certificate to receive a free massage from the Wimberley Med Spa and a gift certificate for a free service from Salon Divino. April’s cash sponsor was Kyle’s Cabinets. Recipients also receive a custom “Texan of the Month” coin, generously provided by Darren Masur with Centex Recognition.