Harris County Department of Education honored its 2023-2024 top educators in separate surprise ceremonies on May 9.

The Department’s Teacher of the Year, Aurick Smither, is a living example of perseverance and overcoming adversity. As a middle school math teacher at Highpoint School, Smither connects with students through his own story and emphasizes where someone is today doesn’t determine where he or she will be in the future.

Angela Mitchell, HCDE’s Educational Aide of the Year, turned to education when her career in finance took a turn. She found an opportunity at a private school working with 3- and 4-year-olds and immediately fell in love with shaping young minds. Now at Academic and Behavior School East, she’s still as invested as that first year.

Both were gifted flowers, a Raising Cane’s basket and ballons. Additionally, each received a check worth $1,000 sponsored through the Education Foundation of Harris County and partners Imagine Learning and Insights to Behavior.

Smither and Mitchell will join the other Teacher of the Year and Educational Aide of the Year nominees in being honored at HCDE’s Celebration of Excellence, scheduled for May 23.

Here’s a look at Smither and Mitchell and what made both deserving winners: 

Teacher of the Year Aurick Smither Uses Life Experiences to Inspire Others.

The words of Aurick Smither’s grandmother are powerful, as someone who has witnessed her grandson overcome even the steepest obstacles.

“My grandmother tells me all the time, ‘You don’t look like where you came from,’” said Smither, a third-year middle school math teacher at Highpoint School.

However, it’s about more than a look for Smither, but rather the experiences and overcoming the past. That’s what he instills in his students and what made him the perfect selection for the Harris County Department of Education’s 2023-2024 Teacher of the Year.

“You don’t do things for recognition, but it feels good to be recognized,” he said. “I think my story can lift people.”

Smither is in his 20th year in education, beginning at 18 years old with the Advancement Via Individual Determination program. He joined HCDE following three years at Spring Independent School District – where he was named Teacher of the Year at Bailey Middle School in 2017.

But his journey is deeper than accolades.

“At 10 months old, I fell out of a two-story window. I should have died then,” he said. “When I was 14 years old and diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, my blood sugar was 812. I should have died then.

Smither even missed half of last school year after breaking his fibula, requiring the fourth separate surgery on his left leg. He had to learn to walk all over again.

His willingness to share his story is what helps Smither both inside and outside the classroom.

“Mr. Smither is a great teacher when it comes to establishing relationships with his students and making those connections with kids that some deem unconnectable,” said Highpoint Principal Courtney Waters. “He’s sharing his life with his kids and helping them understand that yes, I made a mistake, but it doesn’t define my future.”

Said Smither: “I tell my students that we all have a past. I may not have done what they’ve done, but everybody – including me – has done something they’re not proud of. It’s not where you start, it’s where you finish. You’re here now but I want to see where you are in 10 years because in that time frame you could become a millionaire.”

Smither brings that living testimonial to the classroom every day, fueling both himself and those around him. As emotional as he was walking into a room full of people surprising him for his work, it stays with him when few people are looking. The smile never went away, even as he made his way back down the hall to his room.

“I have so many experiences where my life should have been over, but there’s a reason why I’m still here,” he said. 

Educational Aide of the Year Angela Mitchell Leaves Lasting Impression on Students

As invested as Angela Mitchell is now when talking about supporting young learners in Harris County, education wasn’t always her calling.

“I spent 20 years in financial management,” said Mitchell, now in her eighth year as an educational aide at Academic and Behavior School East after first transitioning from finance to a private school. “But I grew to love it. Sometimes you don’t know what you love until you know it. That’s how I got into education, I grew to love it and I wouldn’t change it for the world.”

Mitchell has made an impact on those around here, be it the students or staff she interacts with daily. For her passion and impact, she was selected as the Harris County Department of Education 2023-2024 Educational Aide of the Year.

“It’s an honor and it’s a privilege,” she said after she was surprised with the award. “I give what I give from my heart and I love what I do. It’s not just me. It’s a team effort every day. We come in and we give them the best that we have because the parents send us the best that they have.”

Those young learners benefit from her heart, even though she didn’t know that many years ago. Mitchell lost her job as the financial world took a turn. She found an opening at St. Francis de Sales Catholic School working with 3- and 4-year-old students.

All it took was that first year. Mitchell was hooked and wanted to continue working with children. She used the lessons learned growing up in a structured home and still uses those same traits in her classroom.

“Kids gravitate toward you and kids thrive on discipline and structure,” she said. “I believe if you’re firm, fair and consistent with them, it will come back to you. I give them all I have, even with the firm parts. At the end of the day, they know Mrs. Mitchell loves them and I have their best interests at heart.”

Added ABS East Principal Mercedes Love: “Mrs. Mitchell is the glue that keeps the campus together. She wears several hats on campus – mentor, counselor, caretaker. She is one of the first people to greet our students every day with a welcoming smile and words of encouragement.”

Now eight years in at ABS East, Mitchell is still that welcoming and encouraging person. She supports all of her students, whether it’s her current group or her first students back at St. Francis. The morning she was surprised as the Educational Aide of the Year, she had already received good news from one of her original students. It was a photo of the student from her graduation at the University of New Orleans.

“I tell the parents, ‘You take care of home, we’ll take care of here and together, we can make it work,’” Mitchell said.