Elementary school teacher in Flower Mound named Texas Teacher of the Year finalist

Dr. Isela Russell, a third-grade Spanish Immersion program teacher at Wellington Elementary School in Flower Mound, has been named a finalist for Texas Teacher of the Year, Lewisville ISD announced Tuesday.

Russell has taught at Wellington for the past four years of her 20-year career in education. She has also taught math and worked as an instructional specialist/data coach. When her family moved from Mexico to the U.S., she was forced to repeat third grade because of the language barrier, according to a Lewisville ISD news release. But through math, Russell was able to demonstrate her knowledge and shine. She is a strong believer in César Chávez’s phrase, “Sí Se Puede,” (Yes, you can!”).

“Now as an educator, it is through math that I can show my own students that language is not a barrier, and regardless of their backgrounds, my students can, and will, excel,” Russell said. “My mission of believing in my students, building relationships, and cheering them on, has created a learning environment where we don’t give up.”

In 2023, Russell was not only honored as the Region 11 Elementary Teacher of the Year but also as the Lewisville ISD Elementary Teacher of the Year, and as the recipient of the Texas Lifetime Honorary PTA Award. In 2022 she was named a “Best in Denton County” Elementary Teacher, and in 2010, she was named the Irving ISD Elementary Teacher of the Year. Russell holds two bachelor’s degrees and a master’s degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a doctorate from The University of Texas at Arlington.

“I am incredibly blessed and it’s an honor to be a finalist for the state of Texas,” Russell said. “I am a product of public education [and] I am standing here in front of you because someone believed in me. I will Be the One who makes pigs fly and believes [in] Si Se Puede – every child can do it.”

Russell joins Taniece Thompson-Smith from Abilene ISD’s Stafford Elementary School and Genesis Yougas from McKinney ISD’s Lawson Early Childhood Center as one of three state elementary teacher of the year finalists.

“Texas teachers perform miracles every day as they inspire children even in the most challenging of times,” said Kevin Brown, executive director of TASA, which has coordinated the Texas Teacher of the Year program since 2011. “Public school teachers are critical to the success of individual children and our society as a whole. Those who choose to teach are national heroes, and these six finalists are the best among them. They have distinguished themselves among thousands of outstanding, dedicated teachers across our nation who have answered the call to serve.”

On Aug. 14, a panel of judges composed of representatives of Texas teacher associations and last year’s Texas Teacher of the Year finalists selected the finalists from the 40 Texas Regional Teachers of the Year — one elementary and one secondary teacher from each of the 20 Texas Education Service Center regions, according to the LISD news release. Finalists will be interviewed Oct. 19 by a panel of judges composed of representatives of educational leadership associations, community and business leaders, a member of the State Board for Educator Certification, a member of the State Board of Education, and prior Texas Teachers of the Year.

The panel will select two state-level winners — Elementary Teacher of the Year and Secondary Teacher of the Year — and designate one to represent Texas in the National Teacher of the Year program. The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony Oct. 20 Kalahari Resort & Convention Center in Round Rock, where the 40 Regional Teachers of the Year will also be recognized.

The Texas Teacher of the Year program has honored excellence in classroom education since 1969. The program, facilitated by TASA since 2011, annually recognizes and rewards teachers who have demonstrated outstanding leadership and excellence in teaching. In 2015, Texas Teacher of the Year Shanna Peeples of Amarillo ISD became the second Texas teacher to be named the National Teacher of the Year. Learn more at tasanet.org/texasTOY.