NAAC 2011 Scholarship Winner

Will Flores

Willy Flores, a geometry teacher at Hillcrest High School in Dallas grew up in Honduras, where he says teachers command great respect. He was always a good student and loved to tutor his classmates. He always knew he wanted to be a teacher, but decided he needed to get experience in other fields first.

Flores charted a path that provided critical real life experience in a math-related field prior to entering teaching. He majored in computer science and engineering and took a job with a manufacturer of computer processors. He returned for some time to Honduras to run a family business providing internet and computer classes and tutoring. After returning to the United States he decided to transition into teaching. Enrolling in a traditional teacher preparation program didn’t make sense given his strong undergraduate mathematics preparation and desire for extensive mentoring and support during his initial years of teaching. He enrolled in the Dallas ISD alternative certification program, and took a teaching position in a school lead by a former Dallas ISD intern who was impressed by Flores’ personification of “the maturity and control one expects from an educator. “ He saw in Flores a “passion for teaching mathematics and a dedication to the academic success of Hillcrest High school’s students as they are prepared to graduate college-ready.”

The Dallas ISD program, begun by the school district in the 1980s, recruits and prepares several hundred students each year. For decades, the program leaders have applied research-based selection techniques that have enabled them to fine-tune their ability to select teachers who will be successful in their system. Staffed largely by former ISD educators, they have developed extensive training and support tailored to the individual needs of each candidate and the particular needs of their district. Further, the program staff develop strong ties with school administrators that reinforce each candidates likelihood of success and persistence in their position.

According to his supervisor, associate principal Tamika Prentiss, Willy Flores “is the epitome of success inside and outside the classroom. He inspires students by facilitating hands-on activities, classroom competitions, cooperative groups, and to some, speaking in their native language.”