Congratulations to the 2021-2022 El Dorado School District Teacher of the Year, Mrs. Lisa Hooks!
Mrs. Hooks loves that teaching gives her the opportunity to show her students that math is not the enemy. “They walk into my classroom thinking they hate math and can’t do math. I tell them my goal is to have them exit my room liking math more than they did when they walked in.” She doesn’t expect everyone to love math the way she does, but she hopes that her students will come to enjoy the subject. Her favorite moments in class stem from those “aha! moments,” when a student gets a problem correct or masters a skill.
Mrs. Hooks believes that relationships are a big part of successful teaching. When teachers know and understand their students' backgrounds, personalities, and personal struggles, they can implement various resources to help their students overcome any learning obstacles. However, Mrs. Hooks believes this responsibility doesn’t fall solely on the classroom teacher; it’s a community effort, and one she strives to build. This community involves all parties who play a role in her students’ lives. She believes “the learning process is shared by leadership, teachers, students, and parents; no one teacher should be held responsible for the teaching of students.”
Mrs. Hooks began her teaching career 22 years ago in the El Dorado School District. She spent 15 years teaching a variety of math subjects at Rogers Junior High/Washington Middle School, before becoming the Math Facilitator at Retta Brown Elementary for five years. She is currently finishing her second year at Barton Junior High as a PreAP and general Math 7th-grade teacher. Mrs. Hooks has been married to her husband, Tony, for 24 years, and they have two children: Camron and Becca.
Thank you, Mrs. Hooks, for your continuous dedication to the students of the El Dorado School District!