[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 55 (Wednesday, April 1, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E851-E852]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          MR. PAUL F. CAIN--TEXAS TEACHER OF THE YEAR FOR 2008

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. SILVESTRE REYES

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, April 1, 2009

  Mr. REYES. Madam Speaker, El Paso, Texas is fortunate to have some of 
the best teachers in the country. As a parent and grandparent, I am 
grateful for the work of our educators in the El Paso area, and today I 
want to recognize Mr. Paul F. Cain, a teacher at Ysleta High School in 
the Ysleta Independent School District, for being selected as the 2008 
Texas Teacher of the Year. This is the highest honor that the State of 
Texas can award to a teacher and it is a program run by the Texas 
Education Agency. The program recognizes and rewards outstanding 
teachers like Mr. Paul F. Cain for their energy, commitment, and 
passion for our kids.
  When Paul Cain graduated from high school, he had two possible career 
paths to pursue, the military or teaching. He initially chose the 
military but the Army ultimately recognized his potential and put him 
in a military classroom as a mathematics instructor. After more than a 
decade of military service, he moved to Ysleta High School to teach 
math. That first year, he was given a schedule, a textbook and a 
classroom and virtually no guidance. During his 18 years as Chair of 
the Mathematics Department at Ysleta High School, Mr. Cain made sure 
that every new teacher was mentored and supported by other veteran 
teachers. Mr. Cain has been quoted to say that he believes teachers are 
the ``most positive individuals in the world.'' He believes firmly that 
teachers have the responsibility to make students aware of their 
strengths to ``motivate [them] to participate in the learning 
process.''
  Mr. Paul F. Cain 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 honor 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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