When I started teaching in Muleshoe at Watson Junior High, I joined Texas Classroom Teachers Association. Dorothy Beddingfield, who taught social studies at the junior high, was also a member of TCTA. Sometime during my first year or two here, she suggested, more than once, that I should get involved in the leadership of the organization and run for TCTA district director of Region 17. “They will pay for trips to Austin when the board meets. It’ll be fun. You should do it,” she kept mentioning off and on.
So, I did. I served as a district director for several years and later ran for Legislative Chair on the Executive Board and eventually was elected state president in 2002, serving three years as president-elect, president, and past president.
Now, fast forward to 2016. I retired from teaching in 2005, but remained connected to the Muleshoe chapter of TCTA. During that time I met Angela Reyes, a new teacher who had joined TCTA and was eager to be involved in all things education. She started out in MISD teaching kindergarten for two years, then eight years teaching 1st grade bilingual, which she is still doing.
During that time, I paid it forward and encouraged Angela to get involved with TCTA on the state level, so in 2020 she ran for director at large and won. She also served as a Region 17 director.
And now, it is 2026, and she has just been elected Budget Director which gives her a seat on the TCTA Board of Directors. The Budget Director’s job is to present the proposed budget and audited financial statements to the Board of Directors and Advisory Council. She will also be involved working with investment policies, internal control procedures, and planned expenditures that will keep TCTA strong financially.
Muleshoe member Keri Frost traveled with Angela for the convention, held at the Downright Hotel Austin February 6-7. She also helped man Angela’s election table to meet and greet the delegates attending the convention who will be voting on the members running for all the seats on the board of directors.
Members began arriving Friday, and the advisory council met. Continuing professional education sessions were held, and at assembly, members of the advisory council were introduced.
Saturday was busy with the regular business meeting, the election was held during the lunch break, which was followed by a Q & A with the TCTA legal staff. Later, members heard from keynote speaker Tim Fails, who was named Secondary Teacher of the Year by the Texas Association of School Administrators. Tim had the sense of humor needed these days to be a teacher when he quipped that he would never have to worry about a new school being named after him with a last name like Fails!
Issues affecting education were discussed throughout the day and questions were asked regarding AI in the classroom, Instruction Material Review and Approval (IMRA), a committee that Angela has served on, the Teacher Incentive Allotment program, which has just been adopted by MISD, and new rules reporting misconduct by teachers.
The day ended with the election results announced, and Angela is now officially the Budget Director for the upcoming term.
The Region 17 directors gathered for this picture before leaving convention. In the back row we have Cristal Isaacks from Levelland, which is in Region 17, and will lead TCTA next year as state president; Amanda Coffman is from Cooper High School, Leigh Handlin is from Lubbock ISD, Charly Smith is also from Cooper ISD. In the front row is Angela, Keri Frost from Muleshoe, Maria Lara from Lubbock ISD. Bruce Finch from Slaton is also a Region 17 director but had to leave early before the picture was taken.
It is good to know that Angela will be representing Muleshoe statewide for the Association as it continues to advocate for teachers, focus on troublesome classroom issues, provide professional development, and keep using their collaborative approaches to legislation in Austin.
Thanks to Angela Reyes and Ann Fickle for their help with this story.
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