Bandera High Teacher To Receive Inspiration Award
Robert Shearhart, a senior English teacher and retired football coach at Bandera High School, will be presented the Texas A&M University Inspiration Award for Exceptional Education during the institution’s mid-year commencement ceremonies Dec. 15.
The award – believed to be unique in Texas – is presented at a Texas A&M commencement exercise to a teacher who was nominated by one of his or her former students who is scheduled to graduate at that ceremony – and whose letter of nomination was selected from submissions by a host graduating seniors.
The recipient of the award is presented a check for $2,000, and the honoree’s high school receives a $1,000 check.
Shearhart was nominated by Alyssa Johnson, who is scheduled to receive a baccalaureate degree in English.
Interim Texas A&M President Eddie J. Davis, whose office sponsors the award, has invited Shearhart to attend the 9 a.m. Saturday ceremony at which Johnson will receive her degree – and to present her degree to her personally.
Texas A&M, known for valuing excellence, leadership and service, sponsors the award as a way of recognizing those same key values in the teachers who have inspired and challenged their students to excel.
“I have always told people that I learned more in my English IV class my senior year of high school than I did in all of my classes combined that year,” Johnson said in her nominating letter, adding that no other teacher prepared students for college the way Shearhart did.
“He truly loved sculpting our minds in fun and different ways to keep us intrigued about learning the material. I always loved going to his class and kept in touch with him for a little while after graduation, but eventually lost contact,” Johnson said.
Later, as she was trying to decide if she wanted to change majors to something she was more passionate about, she contacted Shearhart to ask his opinion.
Shearhart replied that he believed teaching to be a calling from above – and that it was not a job for him, but a way of life, Johnson noted in her letter of nomination.
Johnson said after reading Shearhart’s letter, she decided to change her major to English and, through his inspiration, plans to go to graduate school. She hopes to one day get her doctorate and teach at the college level.
“I realize it’s a different type of teaching than high school, but without Shearhart’s words and teachings, I would never be who or where I am today,” she said.
Media contact: Tura King, Texas A&M Division of Marketing and Communications.
