April 23, 2022
Jill Honeycutt, Kindergarten teacher at Foster Elementary, is the Humble Independent School District and Elementary Teacher of the Year for 2022-2023. Honeycutt won a $10,000 check sponsored by Robbins Auto at the Boots and Bling Gala, hosted by the Humble ISD Education Foundation at Stampede Houston on April 22.
Honeycutt has been an educator for over seven years. She begins every school year getting to know her students, their goals, what makes them unique and what they hope to accomplish at school. Her motto is a quote from Aristotle, “Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.”
Honeycutt believes it is a tremendous privilege to build a student’s educational foundation by teaching both their mind and their heart. Parent involvement is critical throughout the process for her. Honeycutt’s ultimate goal is to equip students to learn and give them the confidence and self-awareness they need to pursue their dreams.
“Children will set challenging goals for themselves and achieve them if they believe that they will be supported and have the resources they need to be successful,” Honeycutt said.
Nathanael Wooley, a World History teacher at Summer Creek High School, is the 2022-2023 Secondary Teacher of the Year. Wooley received a $5,000 check sponsored by the Humble ISD Education Foundation.
Wooley, an educator for over 12 years, identifies a way to connect with students through his style of teaching. He strives to make his class different from the rest. When teaching the Mongol Empire to his AP World History students, he chooses to play Mongolian folk rock in class and discuss it with students rather than give traditional presentations where students take notes.
Wooley loves his job and makes learning fun for his students. “I have found that one of the best ways to do this is to enjoy my own lesson and to enjoy my class time with students,” Wooley said.
Wooley also believes how material is presented to students is key to keeping them engaged in learning. “If I am not enjoying my own lesson, the students don’t stand a chance,” Wooley said. “I enjoy my class time with students.”
Each year during the spring semester, Humble ISD schools choose a Teacher of the Year for its campus. The 2022-2023 Finalists and District Teachers of the Year were chosen by a district selection committee based upon essays and interviews in March and April. All District Finalists were honored on stage at the annual Boots and Bling Gala and walked away with a new laptop donated by GTS Technology Solutions and a Whataburger Yeti cup. Honeycutt and Wooley also received free Whataburger for a year. Each finalist was furnished with two complimentary tickets to the annual Boots and Bling Gala courtesy of Gulf Coast Educators Federal Credit Union.
District Teacher of the Year Finalists are:
Elementary
Abigail Cline – Elm Grove Elementary, Kindergarten Reading, Math, Language Arts, Science, Social Studies
Jill Honeycutt – Foster Elementary, Kindergarten Reading, Math, Language Arts, Science, Social Studies
Andrea Iwinski – Groves Elementary, Kindergarten Reading, Math, Language Arts, Science, Social Studies
Tiffani Perkins – River Pines Elementary, Kindergarten through Fifth Grade Music
Stacey Ward – Timbers Elementary, Fifth Grade Math and Science
Secondary
Richard Davis – Humble Middle School, Behavior Continuum
James Hogue – Atascocita Middle School, Eighth Grade U.S. History
Mark Pyeatt – Atascocita High School, Ninth through 12th Grade American Sign Language
Cindy Welch – Kingwood High School, 10th Grade Pre AP Chemistry
Nathanael Wooley – Summer Creek High School, Ninth through 10th Grade AP World History
The annual Boots & Bling Gala benefits the Humble ISD Education Foundation’s Innovative Education grant program. The Foundation, which supports teacher initiatives throughout the district, has awarded $15.3 million in education grants since it was founded in 2000.