Richard Caldwell was named Elementary Teacher of the Year and Jill Stone was named Secondary Teacher of the Year for the Paris Independent School District at a luncheon on Wednesday.
Both will represent Paris ISD in the Region VIII Education Service Center Teacher of the Year competition.
Caldwell holds certifications in Special Education, Elementary Education, and has his Masters in Educational Administration, having been certified as a principal in March of 2017. All of his degrees were earned while attending Texas A & M University in Commerce, where thanks to Caldwell’s service in the United States Marine Corps, his tuition was paid. Before moving back to his hometown of Paris with his wife who twelve years. He started his thirteenth year with Paris ISD as a sixth grade teacher at Crockett Intermediate School.
Caldwell is unique in that he teaches a sixth grade self-contained class. He finds teaching all core subjects with two STAAR areas a challenge, but also a blessing because having the same students all day gives him the opportunity to build closer, meaningful relationships with his kids that enables him to meet their various academic and social needs.
Stone holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in history with a minor in English from The University of Texas in Arlington, and obtained her teaching certification from Texas A & M University in Commerce with 18 hours of masters’ work in reading curriculum. She is currently a ninth grade pre-advanced placement English teacher, Future Problem Solving coach, and district coordinator at Paris High School. Stone has 12 years teaching experience, all with Paris Independent School District.
In 2017, Stone began teaching pre-advanced placement English 1 at Paris High School as well as coaching freshman for The Future Problem Solving program. This is where Stone has found profound personal and professional fulfillment. She tells her students, “If I won the lottery tomorrow, I would still get up and head to room 1206 at Paris High School. In addition to being with my family, with you is my favorite place to be!”
