• Baylor grad named Texas Student Teacher of the Year

    BP-texas-student-teacher-of-the-year

    Every year, Baylor’s School of Education graduates roughly 100 eager, wide-eyed future teachers. One of those graduates is Stephanie Wright, BSED ’16 — who was just named a Texas Student Teacher of the Year.

    Wright graduated summa cum laude last spring with the goal of working with students in special education, then completed her student-teaching experience at Midway ISD’s Hewitt Elementary (just outside Waco). Her approach to teaching is simple, she says: be caring and compassionate.

    “Many of my students have so many obstacles to overcome, but I believe in them,” she says. “They bring out the best in me, and I know that education is the most important factor in their lives.

    “I love the instructional times, but mostly I love all the crazy little things that happen in between. My students constantly reminded me that childhood is fleeting and very precious. I felt blessed to be part of theirs for that short time we were together.”

    The School of Education’s heavy emphasis on experience in the classroom is what gave Wright such a strong foundation when she began student teaching. The state of Texas requires a minimum of 60 days of in-classroom experience for teacher verification — but Baylor goes well above that, requiring its graduates get at least 100 days in real classrooms.

    Not one to become complacent with her teaching methods, Wright is now back at Baylor pursuing a master’s degree in applied behavior analysis.

    Sic ’em, Stephanie!