Anticipation filled the air as the annual Teacher of the Year award was announced on Tuesday, March 4. This year, DC Math Teacher Cathryn Diaz earned the award. Known for her innovative teaching methods and unwavering support for her students, Diaz strives to transform her classroom into a vibrant space where curiosity thrives and potential is realized.
“I graduated from Texas A&M University-Texarkana in 2012 with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics with my teaching certification,” Diaz said. “I worked for a year teaching part time at Texas A&M University Texarkana while I battled my first cancer.”
Despite Diaz battling her first cancer, she pushed forward and continued working part time at Texas A&M.
“I started teaching at Redwater High School in 2013,” Diaz said. “I graduated with my Masters in 2015 and moved to Texas High School to teach Dual Credit Math in 2016 and have been here ever since. In high school and through college I worked as a manager for Wingstop and worked at a tutoring place called Mathnasium.”
After working in customer service her whole life, Diaz realized that she loved teaching. Diaz knew it would be hard to be a teacher due to her cancer, but still, she persevered.
“Working in customer service made me realize I didn’t want to work in customer service/food service for my whole life, but it gave me the resources and encouragement to finish my degrees. [My biggest challenge as a teacher is that I have cancer,” Diaz said. “I’ve been battling cancer for 12 years now and I will be a forever fighter (this third cancer isn’t curable). I have good and bad days due to the medicine, but I try to push through the toughest days and still give what I can to my kiddos.”
Diaz’s journey reflects on her dedication to education regardless of her fight with cancer.
“I didn’t have the best high school experiences, but I did have a few amazing teachers who helped me through it. I was inspired by them, particularly one math teacher who saw my potential as a teacher and suggested I should teach math, so I did, Diaz said. “I wanted to be what those teachers were to me for other kids, a safe and encouraging place.”
Her ability to connect with each kid on an individual level fosters an environment where everyone can feel safe and valued.
“Grace is the biggest strategy. We are all battling things others don’t know about and as high school students, there are so many demands. I try to remember that and show as much grace as I can being a DC teacher,” Diaz said. “I try to give my students class time to work on assignments so that they can ask me for help directly. Even though I do hold up to the demands of a DC math class, I also try to build up math confidence because I truly believe everyone can do math.”
In Diaz’s classroom, showing students grace is one of her greatest strategies to use with her kids. Her care towards her students combined with her heart for the subject of math serve as her driving force, and she feels blessed to be presented with an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of her students.
subject of math serve as her driving force, and she feels blessed to be presented with an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of her students.
“I feel incredibly blessed beyond words. I love my kids and I love what I do. It means the world to me, it makes me feel like the countless time and effort I put into this every day is recognized and it feels great,” Diaz said. “The first few years are the toughest, but you’ll never find a more rewarding job in the world. [In the future] I am thinking about becoming a National Board Certified teacher and possibly going on to get my Doctorate.”
