Midland ISD was well represented in a competitive event designed to allow students to develop and showcase their teaching skills, according to a district post on Facebook.
"MISD TAFE (Texas Association of Future Educators) shined at the National Educators Rising competition that wrapped up in Washington, DC earlier this month. A total of 11 MISD students qualified for nationals this year, including Keren Ortega, MHS ‘24, who finished in the top 10 nationally in the Job Interview category and MFHS which placed 5th nationally in the Inside our Schools category," said ISD, according to Facebook.
According to the Texas Association of Future Educators (TAFE) website, they are recognized by the Texas Education Agency as one of nine Career and Technical Student Organizations (CTSO). TAFE is the newest CTSO recognized in the state, which is notable as no student organization in Texas had been recognized in the last 20 years.
Every year, a delegation of TAFE's top student leaders attends the national conference to represent Texas during the National Educators Rising competition. Membership benefits include scholarships, Educators Rising National Honor Society, and student representation at the national level.
"I’m so proud to see the excitement that our young people have about education as a career. It is such a rewarding profession. I remember my days as a classroom teacher and coach fondly," said founding member of TAFE Dr. Carroll Thomas. "Not only does teaching directly impact the life of a young person but it also opens doors for upward mobility for those who might wish to become a counselor, assistant principal, principal, central office administrator or even superintendent."
According to the TAFE website, Thomas was principal of Estacado High School in Lubbock during the eighties and was among a coalition of Texas Association of Secondary School Principals who saw a need to create pathways for students interested in teaching to learn skills they could implement in the classroom. Thomas has continued his involvement with the organization as he became superintendent of North Forest ISD in 1989 and when he was named superintendent of Beaumont ISD in 1996.