ODESSA, TX. (KMID/KPEJ) — Each month four teachers are chosen for our Teacher of the Month Surprise, nominated by you all at home.
Each teacher gets $250, sponsored by Pioneer, along with flowers from Market Street and a cake from Nothing Bundt Cakes.
This month Lisa MacShane from Sam Houston Elementary was chosen to be surprised in person.

Lisa MacShane is a third grade teacher at Sam Houston Elementary. Its her first year teaching and school leaders say she’s already off to a strong start.

“I went to O.C. for two years, got my Associates degree, and then I went to UTPB and I have my Bachelor’s and I interviewed in a few places, but I really felt at home here at Sam Houston. So I’m excited to be here,” said MacShane.

Principal, Crystal Marquez says MacShane is the perfect addition to the school.

“Miss MacShane has a very positive energy, as you can tell. She smiles a lot. Very easy to be around. Works well with her team and her students genuinely love her. And you can tell it’s because of her natural love of what she’s doing,” said Principal Marquez.

It was an easy task for a friend to to nominate MacShane as our teacher of the month.

First reaction is I had no idea what you guys were in here for, and I’m very excited. It was very unexpected. Not something I was expecting and also very excited.

Her love for her students she says is what keeps her motivated each day.

“My favorite thing about them is just watching them grow. I love them. They’re the sweetest bunch I’ve ever been around. First I had a teacher colleague. She was amazing and I wanted to be just like her. I knew I was going to be just like her and not that I was going to be, but that was what my hope is to be,” said MacShane.

Principal Marquez says MacShane also works well with the rest of the school, not just her classroom, adding what a huge asset that is to the school and the district.

“It takes all of us not just to work with our own classrooms, but to work with your grade level teams and constant campaigns. And we’ve got committees of different things to do. And everything she’s a part of to contributes is positive about what she’s doing. And so that makes it easy. And for our students, she has our best interests in mind.
She’s eager to learn. Being a first year teacher, that’s important. She doesn’t give up. Things are challenging. Nothing is easy. Your first year and she’s ready to attack it each day,” said Principal Marquez.

And the student progress she’s seen in MacShane’s classroom is another reassuring factor.

“We take monthly assessments, sometimes weekly assessments on different things, and she’s just eager to study that data and understand it. And that in itself is a whole other task for teachers a lot of times. And so her students are growing. A lot of that begins is because of the relationship and the bond that she is building with them and in gaining their trust. And so they do they trust her. You walk in, you see them engaged in what they’re learning and it takes planning. And some of you appreciate the time that she puts into planning and working with her team to make it happen.” said Principal Marquez.

We do have four winners in total every month, but our three other winners also all get 250$ each sponsored by Pioneer.
Another one of our winners, Corina Flores, teaches Kindergarten at Pease Academy in Midland.

Another one of our winners is Mr. Blue Franklin, he teaches 9th, 10th and 11th graders at McCamey High School.
And our last winner this month, Trinicia Watson from Reagan Magnet School in Odessa. She teaches some awesome 4th graders!