Stork Soars As Educator, Named 'Teacher Of The Year' At Round Rock

ROUND ROCK, TX -- A key ingredient to being an exemplary teacher -- an attribute not always discussed and one that cannot be learned in college or in attaining a teaching certificate -- is empathy.

By that measure alone, Jennifer Stork is the ideal candidate to be named teacher of the year. And she has: Round Rock ISD officials recently named the 22-year educator as Blackland Prairie Elementary School 2017 Teacher of the Year.

Stork has distinguished herself (among other attributes) with an insistence that her students practice dedication and perseverance in the classroom. Those aren't empty buzz words either: Stork struggled with dyslexia as a girl, so she's well-qualified to speak on the virtues of dedication and perseverance, in equal measure.

“I don’t want my students to be afraid to ask questions or make mistakes,” Stork told district officials during an interview for a website profile. “I remind them that smart people ask questions and to imagine what Einstein’s desk and notebooks might have looked like. They were probably full of mistakes and recalculations and that is how he became such a great thinker.”

Stork's career as a teacher took flight 22 years ago, with 17 of those years spent at Round Rock ISD. She helped open Blackland Prairie 15 years ago and for the past 11 years has been a Talented and Gifted (TAG) Specialist working with kindergarten through fifth grade students, district officials said.

Stork has spread her wings beyond the classroom, having served as vertical committee lead; team leader; sponsor of the Gardening Club and school bank; PTA teacher representative for five years. Next year, she hopes to start an after-school Maker’s Club for first- or second-grade students, district officials said.

Principal Sue Hildebrand praised Stork's ability to work effectively with her fellow teachers and students both.

“She is easy to work with and is encouraging to new teachers and a professional peer to teachers with more years of experience,” Hildebrand said. “She is an outstanding role model for teachers, students and parents.”

For her part, Stork expressed a genuine desire to want to help her students succeed while demystifying math, alerting them they're able to master the numbers in the process.

“I want to build my student’s self-confidence, be their biggest cheerleader, and I want all children to know that you can do math and anything else you put your mind to.” Stork said.