[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 17]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 24026]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  HONORING MAUREEN GAVIN FOR THE 2007-08 OUTSTANDING TEACHING OF THE 
                            HUMANITIES AWARD

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. KENNY MARCHANT

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 3, 2008

  Mr. MARCHANT. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Maureen 
Gavin of Southlake, Texas, who was awarded the 2007-08 Outstanding 
Teaching of the Humanities Award on behalf of Humanities Texas. This 
award honors K-12 humanities teachers in the state of Texas who make 
exemplary contributions in teaching, curriculum development and 
extracurricular programming.
  Mrs. Gavin, a former sixth grade English teacher at Eubanks 
Intermediate School in Southlake, currently works with Morningside 
Elementary School in Fort Worth.
  In the words of Mrs. Gavin, ``All good thinking begins with good 
questioning, and as a humanities teacher it is my responsibility to 
provide provocative questions that allow my students to dig deep within 
themselves as they learn about our world, past and present, and how 
they fit into it''. In this spirit, Mrs. Gavin brings to the classroom 
a passion for literature, language, and the ever-growing continuum of 
knowledge.
  One example of this passion was displayed when Mrs. Gavin's students 
read the book Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli, the story of a homeless 
orphan who makes a positive difference in the lives of other. With the 
guidance and encouragement of Mrs. Gavin, her students created a ``Kids 
Helping Kids'' initiative that ultimately raised $2,000 to support kids 
in need. This is just one shining example of how the passion of Mrs. 
Gavin's teaching translates to a world far larger than the walls of a 
classroom.
  Among Mrs. Gavin's many accomplishments include: Carroll Independent 
School District (CISD) Teacher of the Year, Eubanks Intermediate School 
Teacher of the Year, EPISD Teacher of the Year Top Ten Finalist, Carlos 
Rivera's Teacher of the Year, W.W. Bushman Teacher of the Year, 
presenter CISD parent University, creator of the sixth grade language 
arts curriculum, former member of the CISD language arts vertical team, 
former language arts department chairperson, and many, many more.
  Madam Speaker, it is a special honor to present Mrs. Maureen Gavin 
the Outstanding Teaching of the Humanities Award. Educators in the 
humanities like Mrs. Gavin advance not just the knowledge of life, but 
the critical importance of reflection, wide-angle perspective, and the 
wisdom of a larger world. As her former school's Member of Congress, I 
am especially proud that we have teachers like her who enlighten our 
students in the arts, history, and languages; ultimately emboldening 
our nation's cultural framework as well as our future.

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