Congratulations to
National Teaching Award Nominee
Kristy Perez
Thomas Jefferson T-STEM, Pharr, Texas
Student Nomination Story
My whole high school career, I never really had a teacher that genuinely cared for the students; it was always just teach, give out work, and grade the assignments or tests. That cycle just repeated constantly, then suddenly my sophomore year, I lucked out and got into the only sophomore English 2 class that Mrs. Perez taught. At that time she only taught seniors. The whole year was full of laughs, talks, but most importantly, her working hard on each and every one of us. She acknowledges the fact that we all have different strengths and weaknesses and always manages to take the time to work with each and every one of us. I had never seen that from a teacher. She wanted nothing but the best for us and only ever had our best interest at heart. This is what I love that about her. Fast forward to now, my junior year, luckily I had her again as my English 3 teacher. I was probably having the worst time of my life this year, yet Mrs. Perez was the only teacher who noticed my drastic decline in school. She knows I always give it my 110% and when she noticed I wasn't, she reached out to me about two or three times. I always tried to explain and she understood and worked with me, no matter what. It probably does not seem like much, but I was genuinely drowning with everything going on in my life and to add school on top of it was not any better. She lent out a helping hand and pulled me up to shore. It felt as if some sort of weight was lifted off my shoulders. Although not all my troubles were resolved, Mrs. Perez made sure I would not give up on school and she pushed me to the best of my abilities and helped me along the way. When I heard about this award I could not think of anyone better for this than Mrs. Perez. She is probably the best teacher I have ever had and will ever have. She is the kindest, most compassionate, patient, loving, and caring teacher on this planet. This award was meant for her.
Analia Reyes
My teacher Kristy Perez has changed my life by understanding how hard life is for every student who is having class online. Junior year is the hardest year for anyone, but Mrs. Perez understands that it is difficult to do work from 8 different classes. Even though she has to turn in work from us at a specific time, she always gives us the extra time we need. She also helps us to get better grades by giving extra credit and explaining how the work needs to be done. She is my favorite because she understands us as students and the pressure we are under.
Karla Chavarria
To see more exceptional teacher nominees, visit The Honor Roll.