An Open Letter to Governor Hinojosa from Dr. Stormy Greeson Hickman, Private Citizen and Lifelong Public Educator:
I want to first thank you. Thank you for running for governor, for vocally supporting our public schools, for being a mom that stood up for kids all over Texas. I am currently in my 24th year as a public educator in this great state, and for the first time in decades I feel hope for the future of Texas schools.
I started as a high school English teacher and yearbook advisor. Over eight years I taught almost one thousand students – some were learning English for the first time, some were living in poverty, others were living their best idyllic middle-class life. They all came together in my classroom to become better readers, writers, and thinkers. While I would never claim that my classroom was perfect, I was proud that it was a place for conversation, thought, and even disagreement. My students knew that my classroom was a safe space for them to be themselves as they took their final steps toward adulthood, while also knowing that I expected them to put in the work to meet the requirements of the State’s curriculum.
My career then took me to elementary schools, where I served as an administrator for a total of six years. With the help of our counselors, teachers, and families, we made sure students ate breakfast, had clean socks, and learned to read. Our students experienced the theater and chemistry experiments and service projects. Together we worked to ensure that school was a place where “less than” didn’t exist – where all students were treated as if they mattered and were capable of anything as long as they put their mind and effort toward it.
My colleagues and I have experienced so much with our students. Children who lost their parents suddenly. Families losing everything they’ve ever known in a house fire. Students’ friends’ lives lost to tragic accidents or suicide. Mental illness. Violence. And in every single case, we offered a hug, a snack, a place to cry, and finally, consistency. For every student experiencing the hardest parts of life, school remained.
The first group of kids I taught are now turning 40. They have children of their own who are in our public schools. I love keeping up with them on social media, and I am so, so proud. My students go to PTO meetings. They run for office. They go to church and vote and look for ways to help others. They disagree and show respect at the same time. They are the products of public education in Texas, and they make our state better.
When I moved into district central administration in 2019, I became a Human Resources Director. I used to joke that I was the Assistant Principal for the school district because any staff members who got in trouble had to come to my office. In that role, the flaws of educators were highlighted as part of my day-to-day. I was reminded that teachers are people, too, who sometimes make bad choices. And sometimes those bad choices (or even one bad choice) were enough to disqualify them from being part of this profession I’ve dedicated my life to. And in dealing with those situations I was never, ever sorry because our kids have a right to the very best from the adults in their lives. Education is not immune from the ills of humanity, but we have continued to be committed to removing anyone who does not deserve to be around our kids.
In that role, I also became skilled at compensation plans and mediating conflict between adults, launched the program for Teacher Incentive Allotment in our district, and wrote more systems and processes than I care to remember. Those years were difficult but rewarding in so many ways, and I learned more during that time than perhaps any other time in my career.
From there I was able to return to my true love – directly impacting student instruction. I had the great pleasure of supervising our Curriculum and Instruction department and the ten elementary principals in our district. In that role I saw campus leaders in a new light. Even though they were different from one another, each one advocated tirelessly for the teachers and students in their care. They would stop at nothing to ensure that their students had the opportunity to learn at high levels while also continuously shouting from the rooftops their teachers’ roles as professional educators who could be trusted to put student learning first. We wrestled with consistency and equity versus the unique needs and personalities of community schools. We worked together toward people-focused improvement.
In a mid-life, “my baby graduated from high school” move, I left the district I had called home for 21 years and moved to a high-poverty, rural-turned-suburban district in need of academic improvement. Quickly, I began to love the people there and the community. They are proud and committed to one another. We went to work immediately, focusing our efforts on the campuses whose data needed the most improvement. In two years, those campuses rose in their state rating by a collective 35 points. Not because of a script, but because we began learning together about how to support the professional practice of educators.
I’d like to also address the current narrative that schools are somehow in opposition to parent voice and strive to replace a family’s values with those of a teacher or school system. Said frankly, we don’t want to do that. I cannot say it plainly enough. Surely you have seen the memes: “If we were indoctrinating students to do something, it would be to come to class and do their homework.” In this humor lies truth! Throughout my entire career I have had countless parents with strong opinions about what goes on in school. In every single case, we discussed it and defaulted to what the parent wanted for their child. Every. Single. Case. Parents did not make choices for other people’s children, but they could always make choices for their own. This isn’t a click bait headline. It’s almost 24 years of public education experience.
I know that vouchers and school funding have been controversial issues facing public education for many years, but I believe the biggest detriment to Texas public schools has been the fact that we have replaced the idea of teachers and administrators as educated, practicing professionals with scripted curriculum and rule enforcers. Somehow, we’ve forgotten that public school is a people business, that children are unique and inquisitive, and that teachers know more about teaching than everyone else does.
Sustained improvement is not about doing better on a test. It’s about revising a system to empower teachers and other educators to treat students as people, as children, for whom learning is a messy, exciting process. Our students’ learning MUST be measured and reported publicly, about that I have no argument. But if our system is more focused on creating strong test-takers than strong thinkers and doers, we do no favors for the future of Texas.
And so, Mrs. Hinojosa, thank you. Since your election, I have seen you reach out across party lines and perspectives to include Texans. I hear you speak highly of educators and I feel your belief in Texas public schools. You and I likely agree and disagree on many political fronts, but for the first time in decades I have hope for the future of public education in Texas.
Storm
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