81R10408 MG-D
By: Hughes H.R. No. 584
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Ruthie Meeks Walker has been named the 2009
Elementary Teacher of the Year for the Region VII Education Service
Center by the Texas Education Agency; and
WHEREAS, A native of Harrison County, Ruthie Walker graduated
from Hallsville High School, and in 2002, she earned a bachelor's
degree in education from East Texas Baptist University, where her
mother, Mary Meeks, and her husband, Will Walker, also completed
their studies; four years later, she attained her master's degree
in curriculum and instruction from The University of Texas at
Arlington and became certified as a reading specialist and a
teacher of English as a second language; and
WHEREAS, Mrs. Walker began her teaching career at the same
school that her father, Phillip Meeks, had attended as a child,
South Marshall Elementary; she later taught elementary school in
Springdale, Arkansas, before returning to the Marshall Independent
School District, and she currently teaches first grade and third
grade literacy at Robert E. Lee Elementary School; she is also an
educational consultant for the National Writing Project and has
presented several workshops in reading, writing, and math; and
WHEREAS, In addition to receiving the Region VII Teacher of
the Year designation, Mrs. Walker has been named the Marshall ISD
Elementary Teacher of the Year and the Robert E. Lee Elementary
Teacher of the Year; moreover, this esteemed educator is active in
the National Education Association, the Texas Classroom Teachers
Association, and the Parent Teacher Association; and
WHEREAS, Through the years, Mrs. Walker has reached beyond
the classroom and has contributed to the schools she has worked with
by engaging in numerous campus activities, including pep rallies
and musicals, and by coaching soccer; taking inspiration from the
John Dewey quote "Education is not preparation for life, education
is life itself," Mrs. Walker seeks to teach the children in her
classes the importance of giving to others, and she has organized a
service project for her students that benefits local animal
shelters; and
WHEREAS, Teachers play an important role in fostering the
intellectual and social development of children during their
formative years, and Ruthie Walker has helped to set countless
pupils on the path toward future achievement; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas
Legislature hereby congratulate Ruthie Meeks Walker on her
selection as the 2009 Region VII Elementary Teacher of the Year and
extend to her sincere best wishes for continued success and
happiness; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Mrs. Walker as an expression of high regard by the
Texas House of Representatives.