Adriana Abundis, a dual language mathematics teacher at Lanier High School, has been selected as one of six finalists for the 2021 Texas Teacher of the Year award, a recognition announced by the Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA) on Sept. 9. Texas Teacher of the Year is the highest honor the State of Texas can bestow upon a teacher.
“Every day in public schools across Texas, teachers perform miracles as they inspire children for lifelong learning,” said Kevin Brown, executive director of TASA, which has coordinated the Texas Teacher of the Year program since 2011. “These six finalists are among the best in a profession that is perhaps the most important in our nation, both for individual children and for society. They are national heroes and deserve this tremendous honor. They have distinguished themselves among thousands of outstanding, dedicated teachers across our state and nation have who have answered the call to serve others.”
A panel of judges composed of representatives of Texas teacher associations and last year’s Texas Teacher of the Year finalists selected the finalists from the 40 Texas Regional Teachers of the Year — one elementary and one secondary teacher from each of the 20 Texas Education Service Center regions. In August, Abundis was awarded the 2020 Secondary Teacher of the Year by Education Service Center, Region 20, during a school-wide a virtual ceremony at Lanier.
“Education is a cultural action,” said Abundis in her Teacher of the Year application. “I believe that, at its core, education is driven by community wisdom and authentic real-world connections; and it is because of this that I vehemently enjoy binding learning with community.”
In the spring semester this year, Abundis was named one of SAISD’s three 2020 Distinguished Teachers of the Year. She has been teaching at SAISD for the past eight years. Abundis received her B.A. from Michigan State University, and has two M.A. degrees: an M.A. in teaching, secondary mathematics from the Relay Graduate School of Education and an M.A. in bilingual and bicultural studies from The University of Texas at San Antonio.
“Ms. Abundis is an educational advocate for all students who centers her craft on social justice and 21st-century learning platforms,” said Dr. Moises Ortiz, Lanier principal. “She is committed to the multifaceted education cause and embodies a moral imperative for providing her students with a quality learning experience every single day. Lanier is blessed with a very talented and experienced cadre of teachers who know they impact a better tomorrow for their students.”
