Empowering next generation: Theresa Taylor named Regional Teacher of the Year

Theresa Taylor

Courtesy of Cape Girardeau Public Schools

Cape Central High School teacher Theresa Taylor doesn’t seek recognition for her work outside the students she teaches but recently received it anyway.

Taylor was recently named Regional Teacher of the Year by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), a distinction she said she was “mostly in shock” to receive.

“I just do my job each day and always keep the kids in mind,” Taylor said. “I’m not really looking for accolades, I’m just looking to make a difference. … I’m just one of many teachers who work really, really hard, do their job very well and look out for the kids.

“When somebody screws up, everybody hears about that. But it’s nice for people to hear that there are people in schools doing the best that they can to make all the kids, regardless of where they come from, succeed to the level that they can.”

On her path toward becoming a teacher, Taylor returned to school when she was 35. She already had a degree in accounting, but had decided to get into education. Since then, she has taught business and upper-level computer classes, along with a college readiness course, for 23 years at Cape Central.

Taylor emphasized her passion for teaching the college readiness class, which she helped start 10 years ago, and takes pride in helping students achieve higher-education goals by helping them apply for colleges and technical schools, apply for federal aid and educate them about student debt.

“Students succeeding after high school is a big deal,” Taylor said. “I keep in contact with a lot of my kids. Some of these kids that take college readiness will email me in November and say, ‘Mrs. Taylor, are you sure I can do this?’ They just need a little encouragement. But I run into my kids all over the place and once they’re in my class they’re my kids, I don’t care if it’s been 20 years ago. …

“The kids that come back and teach, I mean, I think I’m at about 12 — I haven’t counted recently — that teach at Cape Central High School with me who were my students. That felt cool from the standpoint that if they need help because I’m a big proponent of supporting young teachers, they are much more willing to come and say, ‘I need help,’ because they know me well.”

DESE selects 34 Regional Teachers of the Year from 10 areas, including two teachers from Southeast Missouri. Teachers who are selected receive a $250 award from DESE’s Regional Service Center, a regional celebration, statewide recognition at the Missouri State Teacher of the Year Awards Banquet, a plaque and a special name tag.

Cape Girardeau Public Schools superintendent Howard Benyon nominated Taylor for the award, for which she was required to submit an application with a two-page resume and answer three essay questions with 750 words each. Now that she’s been awarded regionally, she is required to submit another application for the State Teacher of the Year award, which includes a biography written according to DESE guidelines, resume revision and answer three more essay questions.

Taylor said she likes to fly under the radar when possible but is looking forward to the networking opportunities that come with being recognized as one of the state’s top educators.

“I kind of prefer to do my thing. I kind of get embarrassed being in the spotlight, sometimes,” Taylor said. “But the thought of interacting and networking with teachers with that passion, you can learn so much from other people. The teacher network can make or break so many teachers, and I have an amazing network.”

Taylor’s application for DESE’s state award is due Sunday, July 28, and the Missouri State Teacher of the Year Awards Banquet will take place Saturday, Oct. 12. Regardless of whether she wins the state award, Taylor is proud of the work she does for the community.

“I think if people lived in my shoes for a week, they would want my job,” Taylor said.