Let's Celebrate Our Recipients of the Oscars of Teaching

Every school day when young Texans enter their classrooms, they are met by the most important person in public education – their teacher. I recently had the pleasure of taking part in a national ceremony that celebrates the great work of some of our Texas educators. 

The Milken Educator Award is often referred to as the “Oscars of Teaching” – and for good reason. Like the Oscars, this award ceremony attracts local media and dignitaries for a surprise ceremony where the recipient doesn’t even know they are being honored. 

And for one day, a teacher gets the attention and notoriety often reserved for professional athletes and entertainers. 

This year, two Texas teachers were honored – one in the Arlington Independent School District and one in Slaton Independent School District near Lubbock. 

To see what this ceremony means to a teacher, I encourage you to take time to view the videos from both the Arlington and Slaton ceremonies. The links to those videos can be found below.

As the Texas Education Agency continues its work to support and retain the best teachers for the young men and women attending our public schools, I also encourage everyone at the local level to always remember to show your respect and gratitude for the work taking place in the classroom.

To learn more about the two Texas teachers who were presented Milken Educator Awards, visit https://tea.texas.gov/About_TEA/News_and_Multimedia/Press_Releases/2017/Arlington_ISD,_Slaton_ISD_teachers_earn_$25,000_Milken_Educator_Award. 

Arlington ISD Ceremony: http://www.milkeneducatorawards.org/newsroom/videos/view/jennifer-fuller-arlington-collegiate-texas

Slaton ISD Ceremony: http://www.milkeneducatorawards.org/newsroom/videos/view/katie-negen-slaton-junior-high-texas 

Commissioner Mike Morath
October 25, 2017