District educator named DRT ‘Teacher of the Year’

District educator named DRT ‘Teacher of the Year’


Bonham Academy 7th-grade Texas history teacher
Maile Parker (left) with proud principal Janet Perez at Alamo Hall.

Her ability to pique student interest in our state’s history through thoroughly-modern activities is among the reasons Maile Parker has been lauded
by the Daughters of the Republic of Texas.

The eight-year educator is the DRT’s “2011 Teacher of the Year,” an award presented to those who promote learning in ways other than a textbook.

The Bonham Academy 7th-grade teacher’s strategies include putting key events and dates into the lyrics of popular tunes for fun and easy recall, writing “I Am” poetry
to compare the policies of Presidents Sam Houston and Mirabeau Lamar, artwork, and re-enactments.

Parker - who is in her second year at Bonham - was nominated by DRT member and retired SAISD Department of Social Studies Senior Coordinator Dr. Amy Jo Baker.

Along with letters of recommendation, her nomination included an essay on her philosophy and passion for teaching.

“The field of education is everchanging,” she wrote. “As an educator, I continuously create and revise teaching methods to serve the needs of my students, and I believe in the importance
of exchanging new ideas.”

The honor includes a $500 cash prize, a book on the 13-day siege of the Alamo, and Texas flags
that have flown over it.

This is the second straight year an SAISD history teacher has earned the award. Last year’s recipient was Barbara Pierce, who teaches 4th-grade at Sarah King ES.

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