There is a magic yet rare thing that happens when talent, passion, experience and training unite in a single individual. It is most often recognized and celebrated in athletes — the Olympian’s hard work and sacrifice leading to a gold medal, the football player making the crucial catch to put their team ahead or the basketball player sinking the buzzer beater to clinch the championship. While these examples are certainly more apparent, they are not nearly as impactful as the ones that happen around us every day and often go unnoticed.

On occasion, however, the spotlight shines where it should — on those whose dedication and hard work are rarely as recognized as they should be. Those individuals for whom the spotlight was never a motivation for their effort and whose own light illuminates the path for others.

Jaymee Herrington began his education career in 1998, teaching at Laurel Mountain Elementary in Round Rock ISD under emergency certification. He was still three weeks from completing his bachelor’s degree and had always aspired to teach early childhood education, but the school had an immediate need for a fifth-grade teacher, so Herrington heeded the call. He quickly learned, as all teachers do, that the world of education is often filled with pressing needs — needs that don’t necessarily align with your goals or aspirations.

From Round Rock ISD, he pursued an opportunity in Cobb County School District just outside of Atlanta, Georgia, where he taught fifth grade for one year before requesting a kindergarten position. His administrator suggested he try third grade first for a year to ease him into the demands of younger students. Trusting her judgment, he took the third-grade role but performed too well. Due to parent demand from his third-grade students and his administrator's desire to institute more teacher looping — an educational practice where a teacher remains with the same group of students for more than one grade level — Herrington was moved up to fourth grade the following year instead of down to kindergarten, once again stepping up to meet the need.

The next year, another need arose, but again, not in early childhood. Instead, a neighboring school needed Herrington’s talents for an open Gifted and Talented (GT) position. Excelling there, his new principal encouraged him to pursue a master’s degree in early childhood education. Just as he began his first graduate course, he got the call he had been waiting for — a kindergarten position had opened up. Finally, six years after starting his teaching career, he had the opportunity to teach at the level he was most passionate about. Unfortunately, that only lasted one year because the district lost several kindergarten positions, forcing Herrington to decide between returning to his GT position or moving to a new school for a different kindergarten opening. While he loved his school and principal, early childhood education was still his passion, so there wasn’t much choice. This position, too, proved to be short-lived.

Herrington’s career continued in this pattern — filling needs and following opportunities in school settings and other education-related endeavors. However, none of these roles returned him to an early childhood class where he truly wanted to be. The penultimate of these roles was back in Texas in Katy ISD where Herrington had been serving as a district coordinator. As is often the case with strong educators, Herrington was identified as a candidate for an administrative role, becoming an assistant principal in 2016. The work was rewarding, but the draw continued to be in the classroom, guiding our youngest learners. While the role was not where he wanted to be, it did introduce him to Amy Jones, a kindergarten teacher trained through School Literacy and Culture’s Classroom Storytelling and Early Literacy Leadership Academy (ELLA) programs — part of Rice Continuing Studies' Center for Education. He credits observing her perform story dictation with her class as a watershed moment in his teaching career.

“That moment in 2017 was the pivotal moment for me that I realized you’re never too old to learn that everything you know is wrong,” Herrington said.

Throughout the remainder of the year, Herrington often returned to Jones’s class, observing the early childhood practices of School Literacy and Culture like storytelling and dictation, dramatization, story baskets and learning stations. As he observed, he noticed the kids were quoting books, putting story elements in sequential order, naming the characters and using inflection in their voices. In short, they were demonstrating the foundations of literacy and oral language in a way and at a rate that he had never seen before.

"It was watching her that year that I knew that whatever magic she was getting at Rice was something that more people needed to see," Herrington said.

Still serving as an assistant principal, Herrington began pushing his other early childhood teachers to apply to the Classroom Storytelling program but found himself returning to watch story dictation regularly over the next few years. His visits were not as formal observations but for his own encouragement as he dealt with the facets of administration that felt far removed from those early childhood classrooms of which he wanted to be a part.

In the fall of 2020, Herrington, like many others during the pandemic, began reevaluating his life, career and goals. He received a letter from the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS) featuring his potential retirement date, which made him seriously consider how he wanted to spend the remainder of his education career.

In spring 2021, Herrington took action. He applied to the Classroom Storytelling program and contacted a fellow administrator in Katy ISD who had an opening for a pre-kindergarten teacher. He started both later that year.

Even as a seasoned, successful educator, Herrington credits his experience with Classroom Storytelling for completely transforming his approach.

“My participation ... at Rice University has vastly changed not only who I am as a teacher, but more importantly, how I teach,” Herrington said. “As I began to understand the nuances of how this initiative impacts students learning, I also noticed how it increased my culture and climate within the room. By creating a community of learners who truly know themselves and their classmates, we are able to work and build substantial social-emotional intelligences that give each student a skillset for their journey into their academic career."

Even as Herrington is building a foundation for the academic career of his students, he’s still devoted to assisting teachers in building their professional careers — as a fellow teacher instead of an administrator. Accordingly, after completing the Classroom Storytelling program, he applied and was accepted into the ELLA program. This two-year certificate program brings together early childhood professionals from public, private and charter school settings committed to serving as teacher leaders from their classrooms. ELLA coursework includes a focus on best leadership practices, equipping participants to train others on their campuses, exponentially spreading the proven methodologies of SLC.

Herrington will complete SLC training in May 2025 and be awarded his ELLA certificate, but other awards are already coming. Katy ISD recognized him as their Elementary Teacher of the Year for the 2023-24 academic year. After over two decades as an educator, teaching five different grade levels and serving as a district coordinator and assistant principal, he finally had the opportunity to do what he always wanted. And he shined.

While the culmination of a career’s worth of experience and talent led to his recognition, Herrington notes that ongoing teacher professional development plays a critical role in helping teachers reach their full potential so they may, in turn, do the same for their students.

“Teachers don’t want more professional development; they want better professional development,” Herrington asserted. “Teachers better their craft in the hopes that a child who is struggling is reached and a spark is ignited. Teachers make themselves better, not in the hopes of being recognized, but in the hopes a child can benefit from what someone has taught them.”

“SLC has breathed a renewed sense of commitment to the position of teacher leader,” said Herrington. “Through the learning I have received, I am able to not only advocate for the students in my classroom but for other students as well as their teachers. SLC is much more than story baskets — it is a way and methodology of finessing skills to provide play-centric modalities that enhance and build a child’s academic oral language and confidence.”

Having completed Classroom Storytelling and now part of the ELLA program, Herrington has not only become Katy ISD’s Teacher of the Year but also a dedicated advocate for SLC programming.

“There is not a better program for a teacher to become involved in that provides practical applications, a supportive environment (in and outside of class), that builds expertise in order to impact and benefit students,” said Herrington. “If you are a lifelong learner and are wanting to continue your growth mindset in order to grow in an ever-changing educational landscape, SLC has something for you.”

As Herrington thought through the value of education and educators, sharing his thoughts on fellow teachers, he unknowingly described, in part, the likely source of his own perseverance and success.

“For true teachers that hold fast to the calling, I strongly believe that you are chosen for the monumental task of educating our future,” Herrington explained. “The profession of teaching chooses who is lucky enough to persevere even in the darkest of times because teaching is not for the faint of heart, the weak or the timid. Teachers have a unique resilience and determination to push forward regardless of societal expectations, diverse student needs or administrative demands. Teachers who push through and weather the challenges strive to continue to make a positive impact on each student they encounter - minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day, week by week, month by month and year after year. These teachers who push through day after day are exceptional, distinctive, uncommon and have no equal. They are unparalleled!”

Herrington finally feels he is where he wants to be and doing what he loves to do. Those TRS retirement letters keep coming, but in many ways, Herrington is just getting started. Talent, passion, experience and training have all come together, so he plans to continue to let that light shine until it burns out.

Continue Exploring

More Success Stories: School Ties: How a Rice mentor training program helps train and retain teachers

Related Programs: Center for Education

Rice Continuing Studies: continue.rice.edu

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