[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 55 (Wednesday, April 1, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E850]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          MS. DANA K. BOYD--TEXAS TEACHER OF THE YEAR FOR 2007

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                          HON. SILVESTRE REYES

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, April 1, 2009

  Mr. REYES. Madam Speaker, the community of El Paso, Texas is 
extremely grateful for its teachers. The El Paso area has been 
recognized year after year for the great work our teachers do in the 
classroom. As a parent and grandparent, I am grateful for their 
contributions. Today, I want to acknowledge Ms. Dana K. Boyd, a teacher 
at Dolphin Terrace Elementary School in the Ysleta Independent School 
District, for being selected as the 2007 Texas Teacher of the Year. 
Facilitated by the Texas Education Agency, the Texas Teacher of the 
Year Program annually recognizes outstanding teachers who have 
demonstrated the kind of vision and excellence in teaching that is 
moving our education system forward. The Texas Teacher of the Year 
designation is the highest honor that the State of Texas can award to a 
teacher.
  Ms. Boyd has taught first, second, and third grade at Dolphin Terrace 
Elementary since 1999. She seeks to create a relaxing, non-threatening 
environment in her classroom and has been noted to say: ``my students 
know they are the brightest kids in the grade level [because] once they 
believe they are the smartest students in their hearts and minds . . . 
[I] am able [to set and] keep those high standards.'' She works hard to 
establish a sense of family in her classroom. Before school starts each 
year, Ms. Boyd calls each student and their family. On the first day of 
school, Ms. Boyd tells her students that ``the people they are sitting 
next to are like a second family.'' Every three months, her class has a 
potluck luncheon and students and parents get to know each other better 
while sharing a meal. With this caring approach, she has helped her 
students deal with difficult situations, and she firmly believes that 
every teacher should treat each student as they would treat their own 
child.
  Ms. Dana K. Boyd is part of a larger history of educational 
excellence in El Paso. I am proud to note that to date El Paso area 
educators have been chosen as Texas Teachers of the Year nine times. 
The National Teacher of the Year Program began in 1952 and continues as 
the oldest, most prestigious national honors program that focuses 
public attention on excellence in teaching.
  I am proud of the work of our teachers, and I am committed to 
ensuring that education remains a top priority in this Congress.

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