Denton ISD Our Impact In Your Community Magazine Summer 2016 | Page 41

Secondary Teacher

of the

Year

Traci Burt shows love through learning, literature

I

nspiring a generation of
young people who are tied
to electronic devices to love
reading classic books is a
daunting task for anyone, yet
it’s a task that Denton ISD’s
Secondary Teacher of the Year
takes on with great gusto. Then
again, Traci Burt gathers great
pride in anything that involves
reading or literature.
Mrs. Burt, the daughter
of a retired public school
superintendent, is an English/
Language Arts teacher at Ryan
High School. She always finds
excitement in the challenge,
and the irony in life, that she
teaches about life’s greatest
ironies through literature.

“When I openly display my
unadulterated excitement for
a lesson, they reciprocate by
participating without reserve in a
discussion of it,” said Mrs. Burt. “I
get tickled when a student says,
‘I was going to skip fifth block
today, but I stayed for your
lesson on transcendentalists; you
seemed so excited about that
Emerson guy.’”

Getting a 17-year-old interested
in Ralph Waldo Emerson may
seem like a daunting task, but
it’s a common occurrence for

students in Mrs. Burt’s class.
The walls of her classroom
are covered with inspirational
quotes, bright posters and
newspaper clippings featuring
her students. It’s an environment
she’s created to inspire thinking
and creativity.

The tactic has worked, as Mrs.
Burt’s class is one of the most
popular at Ryan High and she’s
one of many former students
favorite teachers.
The district annually recognizes
10 students from each of its
comprehensive high schools,
allowing them to choose the
most influential teacher they’ve
had during their educational
career to celebrate at the
event. Mrs. Burt has been Ryan
High students’ chosen teacher
more times than anyone else
over the past decade.
“I just love watching Mrs. Burt
teach,” said Vernon Reeves,
principal of Ryan High - Home of
Champions. “When you visit her
classroom, it’s impossible not to
experience the absolute joy she
has for learning and the love
she has for our students.”

Back in the classroom, Mrs. Burt
laughingly holds up the front

Ryan High School English teacher Traci Burt and W.S. Ryan
Elementary P.E. teacher Andi Hawkins pose w