Hambrick MS Teacher Helen Ramírez Advances to State Competition; AISD Superintendent Dr. LaTonya M. Goffney Receives Diana García Marion Award

Disponible en:

Helen Ramírez

Hambrick Middle School teacher Helen Ramírez advances to the state competition as the Suburban Houston Association of Bilingual Educators (SHABE) Secondary ESL Teacher of the Year. 

Winners award recipients were honored at the organization’s virtual Teacher of the Year Recognition Banquet. Aldine ISD Superintendent Dr. LaTonya M. Goffney was also honored. SHABE bestowed her with the Diana García Marion Award. The Diana Marion García Marion Award recognizes a member of the educational community who has advocated for and demonstrated continued support for Bilingual and ESL education.

Several other Aldine ISD Bilingual educators also earned honors at the annual event. Eckert Elementary teacher Marianna Fernández finished second in the Elementary Bilingual Teacher of the Year category. Johnson Elementary teacher Shaina Shaw finished second in the Elementary ESL Teacher of the Year category. Hinojosa Primary teacher Melanie Gonda finished third in the Elementary ESL Teacher of the Year category. Last but not least, Teague Middle School teacher Anel Arredondo finished third in the Language Other Than English (LOTE) Teacher of the Year category.

Ramírez said she was honored to represent SHABE and Aldine ISD as the ESL Secondary Teacher of the Year.

“The recognition is an incredible honor,” she said. “The work is about remembering why we teach. For me, I wanted to make a difference. To achieve goals, it takes building strong relationships. To work with students learning a new language requires patience and the ability to remain calm and fair. A love of students and a nurturing personality are also very helpful.”

The Texas Association for Bilingual Education (TABE) will announce the state winners at its conference later this year.