(CEDAR HILL, TEXAS) Tiffany Anderson has made an immediate impact at High Pointe Elementary School.
Anderson, in her first year at HPE, is a finalist for the campus Cedar Hill ISD STEM Teacher of the Year award. The winner will be announced on May 9 at the Leadership & Service Awards Ceremony.
“I was surprised,” said Anderson, who teaches Fifth Grade Math and Science. “Whenever I get nominated, I don’t ever expect it.”
Anderson was named the Bray Teacher of the Year two years ago in her first year at that campus. She’s in her 12th year of teaching, including a decade with Cedar Hill ISD.
“We’ve done a lot of experiments this year, including measuring force by testing how far away a magnet needs to be from its object,” Anderson said. “We’ve also tested the height and speed of marbles. Scholars have also been creating their experiments.”
A graduate of Texas A&M Commerce, Anderson was born in Dallas but grew up in several places because her father was in the U.S. Army.
Anderson lived in Heidelberg, Germany, Fairbanks, Alaska, Fort Chavez, Texas, Middletown, Rhode Island and Hohenfels, Germany.
Growing up in multiple places helped Anderson become the person and teacher she is today.
“I had to be open to different ways of thinking and problem-solving,” Anderson said.
She graduated from Shoemaker High School in Killeen and hoped to become an accountant. However, while working at the daycare at US Army Garrison Bavaria in Hohenfels, her focus shifted to teaching.
“I found my calling,” Anderson said.
Anderson returned to the U.S. and chose Commerce because many of her relatives attended the university with a strong reputation for preparing future teachers.
If she wins CHISD STEM Teacher of the Year, Anderson said she’s considering purchasing a 3D Printer for HPE with the $5,000 prize money for the campus. As for the $5,000 personal prize money, she’d put it into savings.
