The state has named Nye Early Childhood Education Center teacher Tara Hughes of Santa Fe its 2023 teacher of the year. Courtesy/SFPS
NMPED News:
SANTA FE — Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and Public Education Secretary Kurt Steinhaus announced Wednesday that educator Tara Hughes is the 2023 New Mexico Teacher of the Year.
Hughes teaches a four-year-old inclusion preschool class at Nye Early Childhood Center in Santa Fe, a state-of-the-art facility dedicated to educational programming for children ages three and four.
“I’m honored to present this award for the first time to an early childhood educator,” Gov. Lujan Grisham said. “Ms. Hughes is a shining example of how to deliver a top-notch education to our youngest learners. This administration is dedicated to providing every resource and support to educators like Ms. Hughes and New Mexico students to ensure their success from an early age.”
“Ms. Hughes’ efforts on behalf of her preschool students in Santa Fe have been nothing short of extraordinary,” Secretary Steinhaus said. “New Mexico is fortunate to have her as our 2023 spokesperson for the teaching profession and our representative in the National Teacher of the Year competition. Her dedication and high standards will serve as a model to all of us in the coming year.”
The governor presented the award at a ceremony Wednesday morning in a collaborative learning space Hughes helped design and implement. The school is equipped with spaces that support STEAM learning, art, independence and family engagement.
“I’m so honored to represent early childhood educators, to advocate for our earliest learners and to be a voice for young children who may not be able to speak for themselves,” Tara Hughes said after the announcement.
The New Mexico Oil and Gas Association is the title sponsor for the New Mexico Teacher of the Year program for the fifth year and will support the travel needs and professional development opportunities of the winner.
“The New Mexico Oil and Gas Association and New Mexico’s oil and natural gas industry are proud to support our outstanding teachers across our great state, and we congratulate Tara Hughes for her recognition as the 2023 New Mexico Teacher of the Year,” Doug Ackerman, President of NMOGA, said. “Ms. Hughes’ commitment and passion reflect the best of New Mexico’s teaching profession where she works diligently to provide a high-quality educational experience for her students and their families in the Santa Fe community. We look forward to continuing the partnership and collaboration to further the reach and impacts of New Mexico’s Teacher of the Year.”
Hughes worked as a special educational assistant for two years before pursuing a master’s degree in special education from New Mexico Highlands University. Working as a student teacher in an autism-specific preschool program ignited her passion for inclusive classrooms. She has worked as a highly structured special education teacher with Santa Fe Public Schools for nine years. Hughes said she views classrooms that include students both with and without disabilities as a way to build children’s strengths and celebrate differences.
“Inclusion is not only instrumental in changing discriminatory attitudes but provides a better-quality education for all children by broadening educators’ pedagogical approach and weaving specially designed instruction and support to help ALL students make progress,” Hughes wrote in her application. “I believe every single child and family member is equally valued and deserves the same experiences and opportunities.”
Mandie Szantho’s daughter, Aliz, was a student in Hughes’s class last year who required significant classroom support. Szantho said Hughes helped prepare her daughter for success in the mainstream kindergarten classroom she attends this year.
“I wholeheartedly believe that Tara was the biggest reason for her miraculous growth and progress,” Mandie Szantho wrote in a nomination letter for Hughes. “She is not only extremely kind and inclusive, but she is so knowledgeable in strategies to motivate and encourage students to gain a lifelong love of learning and participation in the classroom setting.”
Hughes has elevated educational services and support at her school by implementing school-wide Professional Learning Communities and coaching colleagues in evidence-based classroom strategies and social-emotional development curriculums.
Secretary Steinhaus also announced Catherine Turietta-Huber, a fifth-grade teacher at Tombaugh Elementary School in Las Cruces, as first runner-up for 2023 New Mexico Teacher of the Year. Huber is in her 22nd year of teaching with the Las Cruces Public Schools.
The New Mexico Teacher of the Year award was established in 1963. Each year, all New Mexico school districts, and charter schools are invited to nominate an outstanding teacher to become New Mexico’s Teacher of the Year and to represent New Mexico in the National Teacher of the Year competition. New Mexico’s Teacher of the Year also acts as the spokesperson for the state’s teaching profession.
“This program serves to honor and celebrate all of New Mexico’s educators,” Steinhaus said. “I want to personally thank not only this year’s Teacher of the Year and first-runner up but every person working in schools to serve the more than 320,000 students in New Mexico.”
