GALENA PARK, Texas — Some say that a good education can change anyone and a good teacher can change everything. One Galena Park ISD educator is proving just how much teachers have the power to ignite the passion and love for learning that students need to succeed.
Mrs. LaTisha Guillory, an English teacher at North Shore Senior High 10th Grade Center, was named the 2023 Houston Area Alliance Black School Educator (HAABSE) Outstanding Secondary Teacher of the Year for the entire Houston area in February 2024, a recognition given to educators who exemplify excellence in their field. The purpose of the Outstanding Teacher Awards is to say “thank you” to teachers for the outstanding job they do in working with children. The HAABSE Retired Educator’s Committee reviewed applications, determined and interviewed finalists and then selected the recipients. Guillory told d-mars that the honor surprised her.
“For me, it’s just simply doing my job, building relationships, being an impactful teacher, and I was just so happy to be recognized for doing that,” Guillory said. “To sum it up, this honor means being an effective teacher and doing the groundwork. Because I had just been doing my job, it was unexpected, so I was totally, totally shocked. It still hasn’t settled in.”
Guillory, a Grambling State University alumna with a Bachelor of Liberal Arts in Psychology, began her teaching journey 22 years ago while attending graduate school and working full-time at Louisiana Methodist Children’s Home, where she supervised and nurtured misguided youth in state custody. Observing a rise in adverse behavior during school hours deepened her commitment to her youth by prompting a desire to make a difference beyond juvenile confinement. That commitment has translated to her work at North Shore. In addition to being an educator, Guillory also serves as a cheerleader for her students. The owner of Balloon Bosses takes pride in celebrating them for birthdays, athletic games and other special occasions. She goes above and beyond to ensure her students feel special, seen and heard.
“I try to make sure that they walk into balloons or some type of celebration,” she said. “I don’t take this job lightly. I know the impact that I have on our future.”
While Guillory loves being an educator, her faith was tested when she recently lost her mother to cancer.
“This year was personal for me because for the last seven years in addition to teaching, I was a caregiver for my mom, who had cancer. The day that I got back from spring break, that Monday, my mom had a stroke, in addition to the cancer. We found out the cancer had spread and I lost my mom a week later—in the middle of testing,” Guillory tearfully explained. “It was rough, and so coming back to school, I was like, ‘God, I give up. I can’t do anymore.’ I literally told my mom (before she died), ‘I’m not going back to teach,’ and she was like, ‘Why? You are going back. You’re going back and you’re going to continue.’”
Guillory did just what her mother told her to do and continued to teach.
“It’s essentially been a clean sweep this year,” Guillory said. “I just focused. I threw myself into everything I could throw myself into. It’s mine.”
In addition to the HAASBE Secondary Teacher of the Year honor, Guillory’s recent awards recognizing her community and classroom efforts include Houston’s Pink Bowl Most Influential Leader, NS10 Houston Alliance of Black School Educators (HAABSE) Teacher of the Year, 2024 HAABSE Secondary Teacher of the Year, Distinguished Distinction of Academic Growth and a Women’s History Month spotlight feature celebrating achievements of female entrepreneurs.
Her advice for other educators is to give themselves grace.
“Ever day is a new day to start off new with your kids. Before trying to teach our kids, make sure you do the groundwork,” Guillory said.
