UH-Clear Lake alumnus named teacher of the year

The numbers just didn’t add up for Oscar Perez as an accounting major. It wasn’t until University of Houston-Clear Lake alumnus switched to the field of education that he found his true calling, a fact confirmed when the third-grade Clear Creek Independent School District teacher was recently named the McWhirter Professional Development Laboratory School Teacher of the Year.

Perez, who began teaching at McWhirter Professional Development Laboratory School as an intern in 2004, says he saw what his wife, a teacher at the time, was doing and liked it. Despite the difference in earnings potential, Perez decided to switch career tracks and do what he truly enjoyed. A decision he does not regret, nor do his students.

He models his teaching style and philosophy after that of his own sixth-grade teacher, a man who spent time with Perez and the other students on the playground as well as in the classroom.

“It’s all about relationships,” says Perez, who plays soccer with his students each day during recess.

He says he gets to know the kids as a friend as well as a teacher, which helps Perez have a better understanding if a student is having difficulty with a certain subject or with completing homework assignments.

“They need to trust you and understand that you are there to help them, and anything they need they can ask you.”

Believing in themselves is one of the biggest challenge facing kids today, he adds.

“They need to believe that I, as a teacher, believe in them. All of them can be successful, but I think that many times they don’t know that. They need someone to tell them that they can. There needs to be a good relationship between teacher and student, so the student can believe in his or herself.”

 Perez was selected for the teacher of the year honor by his fellow teachers, explains McWhirter Professional Development Laboratory School principal Michael Marquez. “He is well liked by everyone – pupils, parents and faculty. He’s a true team player and goes beyond the call of duty.”

Perez graduated from the UH-Clear Lake in 2005 with a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies.

McWhirter Professional Development Laboratory School is a joint initiative between Clear Creek I.S.D. and UH-Clear Lake’s School of Education.