Working to find common ground with all of his students, Forest North Elementary School Special Education Teacher Dan Stewart was named Round Rock ISD’s 2023 Elementary Teacher of the Year (TOY). He was selected the elementary winner during the District’s annual TOY celebration on May 4, sponsored by the Round Rock ISD Partners in Education (PIE) Foundation and A+ Federal Credit Union.
Stewart was named the Teacher of the Year at Forest North Elementary and was selected among 34 elementary educators to represent the District at the regional competition. He has been educating students for 15 years, seven of which have been in his current position at Forest North.
“My most important job as an educator, even before TEKS or future academic success, is to create an environment where my students feel safe and have a place to belong,” Stewart said. “I believe that the way a student starts their day is a predictor of the way the rest of the day will go for them. A great start will lead to a great day.”
As an educator, Steward believes that his own experiences help him serve students better and understand their experiences.
“My own educational experience as a person with a disability puts me in a position to be able to advocate for my children in a way that is organic and natural,” Stewart said. “I have a keen understanding of what it is that they need to be successful. This insight gives me the ability to view my students through a different lens and see that while they need so much more than mere learning assistance, they are also supremely capable of achieving the goals set for them.”
Stewart will continue to the 2023 Region 13 Elementary Teacher of the Year competition, where he will represent Round Rock ISD in hopes of becoming the 2023 Texas Elementary Teacher of the Year.
“Dan Stewart is an extraordinary Special Education teacher,” Forest North Principal Amy Jacobs said. “He serves students in Resource and Inclusion settings with a wide range of disabilities by building nurturing relationships with them and doing everything he can to make them successful at school. He is extremely patient, flexible and kind. Dan is a school leader and team player, always lending a helping hand around the building for any student or staff member who needs help.”
