This month, the Texas State Teacher’s Association recognized Dr. Judith Maima Skeele with the Outstanding Advisor Award.
On March 1st, 2024, in San Marcus, Texas, Dr. Judith Maima Skeele, an Education professor who specializes in child development, was given the Outstanding Advisor Award by the Texas State Teacher’s Association.
This was one of many awards that San Jacinto College was given during the state conference for the TSTA (Texas State Teacher’s Association), and it is only one recipient. The hard work put in by Dr. Skeele was recognized by the state, and not only does it mean a lot to Dr. Skeele, but demonstrates a high achievement among TSTA members and associates.
“I think it was very well deserved, she does a lot of our education courses, and she has a true passion for not only recruiting new members, but also new educators,” says Dr. Stephanie Plain Potter, TSTA – Aspiring Educators Advisor.
The Texas State Teacher’s Association is a Texas organization for teachers and students training to become teachers. The organization goes beyond the traditional role of a union by offering a myriad of services, including community engagement, teacher aid, skill development, advocacy for struggling students, networking opportunities, and workshops. Notably, TSTA emphasizes the importance of community service, encourages bilingual certification, and serves as a support system for educators, giving them a voice in their profession.
The award came as a total surprise to Dr. Skeele, as there are many hard-working advisors around the state that she knows of and didn’t expect that she would be the one chosen among them. Skeele is known to look for schools in the community that are struggling and brings her students to help educate and donate materials and supplies.
“You know, it’s a big award to win considering advisors from all over the state and from different colleges were attending. But for me it means a lot, because it’s a lot of hard work advising, because in addition to teaching, I spend a lot of time with my students, officers, organizing meetings, guest speaker, and just proving them with professional advice, development, mentoring them, and doing things in the community. So, I’m always leading them like, ‘ok let’s find a school in the community we can go read to’. It means a lot to me in the sense that, hard work I put in my students was recognized,” says Skeele.
The Texas State Teacher’s Association, exemplified by Dr. Skeele and the students from San Jacinto College, demonstrates the importance of empowering future educators.
Through community service, advocacy, and mentorship, Dr. Skeele creates a supportive environment for aspiring teachers. The achievements of Dr. Skeele at the conference highlight the significance of educators who go above and beyond to shape the future of education, as well as the strong future to aspiring teachers inside San Jacinto College.
“The TSTA is number one, and it is open, so anyone that is interested in being a part of TSTA can e-mail me, or feel free to reach out to me, to let me know how I can be of assistance. Also, TSTA is an organization of excellence and growth, so we want to encourage other students that may not even know if they want to be a teacher, have the opportunity to come in and see, or be a part of the great things happening at San Jacinto College,” says Potter.
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