In 2023, Mrs. Cristina Rubio of El Paso High School won the Outstanding Teaching of the Humanities award from Humanities Texas. One of the most prestigious awards given to teachers in the state.
“I had to be nominated first, so a former student of mine, Lindsey Williams from the class of 2022, went ahead and nominated me, and she let me know that she nominated me. She knew I worked closely with Humanities Texas and brought in a lot of the lessons that I’ve learned through them into the classroom,” Mrs. Rubio said.
In order to receive the award, a recipient must prove their excellence and the impact they’ve had on their students.
“I qualified. I’ve been teaching for 11 years, and I feel like I’ve done a lot of good things in my career to help students. I think it comes back from my former students who come back and tell me how much things that they’ve learned in class have helped them now in their college or their job, and how the information I’ve taught them has helped them,” Mrs.Rubio said.
It takes a high level of competence and creativity in the classroom to get noticed.
“The ability to reach your students to be able to make complex subjects like Shakespeare relatable to your students is incredible,” Dr. William Serrata, Humanities Texas board member said.
Mrs. Rubio stated that she believed nurturing relationships with her students was an important part of learning.
“As I was watching the pictures being taken, I saw a lot of students wanting to take pictures with her. She has been a wonderful teacher and this is just a tribute to the great work that she does in the classroom,” Dr. Serrata said.
To win this award, the teacher in question must be caring inside and out of the classroom, bringing life and creativity to the lessons, and making them relatable to even the stubbornest students.
“I think I stood out, I think I was just honest with what the essays that I wrote, and what it was that I like about teaching. I spoke about the hard part of it, but also the joy that I get from seeing my students be successful at the end of the school year or even throughout the school year. When they finally recognize that they have this big kind of skill set,” Mrs. Rubio said.
A teacher’s job is difficult, especially post-covid, with the rise of school safety incidents, and mental health crises. Earning recognition for their achievements is something gratifying for teachers.
“I think it’s the recognition of all the hard work I’ve put in the last 11 years. I think it’s a lot about knowing that I’m in the right place, and I’m doing the right things. Sometimes we think as teachers we just go day by day,” Mrs. Rubio said. We’re constantly being pulled in a million different directions, not only by our students by our admin, but the students, parents, our own families. And so to know that you’re doing something right and doing right by your students. It’s nice to have that recognition.”
Non-teachers also see the importance of recognizing outstanding humanities teachers, such as U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, who was in attendance for Mrs. Rubio’s presentation.
“Not just anyone can be a humanities teacher. And the fact she is being honored by such an esteemed organization shows how extraordinary she is,” Rep. Escobar said.
She has a background in English education, before her political career.
“It gives me great comfort to have great teachers here in El Paso. Teachers are instrumental in helping ensure that young people reach their potential, dream big, and are prepared for the next steps once they’re out of high school,” Rep. Escobar said.
Not only are teachers necessary, but the skills they teach are equally valuable.
“It’s incredibly important for students to have those skills. You hear a whole lot of it referred to as soft skills in today’s employment market, but these are outstanding skills and so the humanities are incredibly important for us to continue to be involved,” Dr. Serrata said.
In all, the Humanities Texas: Outstanding Teaching of the Humanities award is a prestigious, but well-deserved award. Mrs. Rubio can take it many places, and is considering UTEP or EPCC.
“My main goal is to eventually be a professor, to either teach full time at EPCC or UTEP, but to teach at UTEP you need a Doctorate, so that would mean going back to school again, and that’s kind of hard when I have two small ones at home,” Mrs. Rubio said. “We’ll see, but for now, I love being here, at El Paso High…this is my future and I hope to stay here for as long as I possibly can.”
