INTERESTED IN BECOMING A TEXAS TEACHER?

Dear future educator...

When my children were younger, they experienced literacy barriers, but I refused to allow my children to fail and therefore left a successful management career to become an educator to further support not only my own children, but also others. At the time I already had a degree, therefore I pursued an alternative route to teacher certification in Texas and within three years I earned the honor of being “Teacher of the Year.” As an educator I have always been committed to student success, I am passionate about ALL students having equitable learning experiences regardless of circumstance. While teaching I quickly learned the power of making content comprehensible for my learners by differentiating curriculum to be culturally relevant and by meeting all students where they are. I dedicated my teaching career to Title I Schools, quickly grew a passion for STEM Education, and honestly shifting career mindsets was the best decision that I could have made—the journey has been extremely rewarding and far from finished. Today I am proud to say that I have empowered thousands of students and educators across the country to continue to pursue educational dreams. In my many years of being an educator and now a Doctor of Education I have learned that students in classrooms require teachers; that look like them, encourage and inspire them, believe in them, are passionate about educating the next generation of leaders, can serve as positive role models, and are dedicated to their academic success.

—Dr. Carmen Cruz