CROWNING MOMENT

Jaymee Herrington was “literally in shock” one day last month.

Herrington, a Teague graduate of 1992, discovered that he was named the Teacher of the Year for Katy ISD and for his campus, Cimarron Elementary School. He teaches pre-kindergarten at Cimarron, and also serves as an inclusion teacher for the early childhood special education program on the campus.

“I was literally in shock,” Herrington said. “Being named a finalist out of so many wonderful and qualified teachers were an honor within itself. I believe there were three finalists out of 46 campuses.”

For Herrington, he was conducting afternoon recess. Then he saw a group of people walk up.

“When I first saw the group, I assumed my principal had asked the group of admin she was hosting for a day of learning, to go outside and play with PreK,” Herrington said. “I was walking in my designated area and when I heard a noise and turned around, the district photographer was in my face clicking away. It was literally a moment of shock and disbelief. I graduated in 1992 and had 71 in my class. Now I am the lone teacher out of thousands in the fifth largest school district in Texas. The honor of being named was a monumental achievement in my career.”

Herrington is in his 26th year in education. He began his career in 1998 as a fifth grade teacher in Round Rock ISD.

Herrington has taught every grade level of elementary school as well as some college. He also has administrator experience as a district level coordinator, science coordinator or principal.

“For me I would have to say the most rewarding aspect of teaching is seeing (students) acquire the love of learning,” Herrington said. “It is my job to ensure they see learning as something that is never-ending and magical. The sight of them almost running down the hallway daily to get to my room shows me I have ignited in them the love of learning and all that has to offer.”

Herrington credits his teachers in Teague for motivating him to seek a career in education. He even had some classroom training prior to graduating from THS.

“Teachers like Myrtle Snipes, Jolene Sledge, Mary Lancaster, Ruby and Arzo Burnim, Artie Davenport, Barbara Elrod, Linda Thorton, Doris Smith, Jeri Mary, Travis Bogue, Loy Newberry, Lana Erwin, Janet and Jerry Smith, and administrators like Budy Lowe and Mr. Shields showed me the passion for teaching and how to motivate that passion to learning,” Herrington said. “I was very blessed to have some amazing teachers. In 1991, I had the honor of going to Sallie Mounger every day at the end of my schedule to observe elementary teachers. Mary Lee, a first grade teacher, handed me the content and basically said, ‘Go for it!’ This created a spark in me that I hold to this day.”

Herrington is grateful to have grown up in Teague. He believes it gave him the foundation he needed to succeed in the classroom.

“Going to school in Teague was a safe haven,” Herrington said. “The teachers who constantly inspired me and pushed me to always do my best were the ones who listened and genuinely cared for me as a human being. They encouraged me to continue to grow and pursue my passions and dreams. They constantly were supportive in the community, at church, and at school.”

Three years ago, Herrington was in administration. But the aftermath of COVID-19 gave him a change of heart.

“To say the pandemic was the main factor would be not totally honest, but it was one of the biggest factors in going back to the classroom,” Herrington said. “Teachers worked extremely harder than normal during 2020-21 to ensure students were loved for, educated, and given the best educational opportunities they could. As an administrator that year, the pressures of taking care of students, parents, and more importantly teachers hit home for me. The adversity they faced was at times often insurmountable. I filled in for absent teachers and saw how much I truly loved teaching. I knew that to walk the walk I needed to talk the talk and go back to what my heart told me I was destined to do.”