Being acknowledged for excellence so early in a teaching career is rare.

But a WHS teacher has done just that. 

While food science educator Teil Jenkins has been teaching for only four years, she has been named WHS Teacher of the Year and was a finalist for a regional teaching award as well.

Each year, Region 11 recognizes all Teachers of the Year from school districts in the North Texas region. The Teacher of the Year Program allows districts to submit one elementary and one secondary candidate to compete at the regional and state levels.

Ninety teachers representing 46 school districts in Region 11 participated in the competition.

To be a finalist—like Jenkins—is considered a major accomplishment. 

Teil loves what she does and always strives to help her students get the most out of her class.

 “Majority of my students are seniors,” Jenkins said. “They’re going out with their own homes and starting their own lives. So I just want to be able to make sure they’re prepared and have the background knowledge on how food science influences their lives.”

Jenkins’ desire to form a solid foundation for her graduating students makes her such a successful teacher. Madison Pulis, a member of FCCLA, says that Jenkins’ methods as an advisor reflect her values as a person. 

“The way she goes about her tasks and treats her peers, be it students or teachers, corresponds with her character,” Pulis said.

Jenkins didn’t go to school to become a teacher. This is her fourth year in public education, and before this, she had worked with families of all ages, from young kids to the nuclear family of the parents and their kids to elderly adults. 

“So I’ve worked in various capacities before I became a teacher,” Jenkins said. “All those experiences, I feel like, really help me in what I’m trying to instill in the students here, and just showing them that I didn’t go on this straight path to becoming a teacher.”

Now in year four, Jenkins feels confident. 

“I feel like I have established myself as a teacher, and I have established the curriculum and the structure of what I want my students to know,” Jenkins said. “I think a lot of each year has been internal, not external. But it’s just the pressure and the work ethic I put on myself, [like] how I want to come off as a teacher for my students.”