Dallas ISD welcomes 1,400 new teachers

Wall-to-wall cheers could be heard throughout the Winspear Opera House in downtown Dallas Wednesday morning, as Dallas ISD welcomed approximately 1,400 new teachers to the district in its New Teacher Academy. The incoming team members represent teachers who have teaching experience in other districts and novices who are starting their careers in the district.

The morning session of the New Teacher Academy included a welcome by Superintendent Stephanie S. Elizalde, Ed.D., who shared some of her experiences when she began her career as an educator.

The keynote speaker of the event was author, motivational speaker, and educator Stephen Peters who talked about the impact that teachers had in helping him become a best-selling author.

Throughout the challenges in life, he always remembered his middle school teacher who would tell him he was smart. He never forgot his teacher’s voice, and asked the attendees “What will your students hear when they hear your voice?” He also told the educators that students are dependent on what they as teachers bring every day. He described their work as “hard work, that is also heart work.”

Throughout the day, as attendees were in and out of sessions, the lobby of the Winspear included booths of different Dallas ISD departments and organizations who talked to the new team members about the different resources available to them, as they prepare to begin the new school year.