MESQUITE, Texas — Monday, at Motley Elementary in Mesquite, Anna Vasquez started her first year as a teacher.
She chose this career path, in part, thanks to a teacher who inspired her when she was younger.
“Who wouldn’t want to be like her?” Vasquez said. “That is the goal, definitely.”
The same goes for Tiffany Coles, who’s starting her 16th year with Mesquite ISD.
“I specifically wanted to start with third grade because I remembered her class so vividly,” Coles said.
So where did this teacher, who was such an inspiration, end up going?
Nowhere.
Diane Nix is still at Motley Elementary. She’s been teaching 51 years and has no plans on slowing down.
“I love everything about teaching and I knew since first grade that I wanted to teach school,” Nix said.
She started in 1973 and says a lot has changed in 50 years. Throughout the decades, she’s taught second grade, third grade and now teaches English as a second language.
She says she loves it just as much today as she did on day one.
“Or I wouldn’t have done it so long,” Nix said.
As head of the school’s Sunshine Committee, and it’s only member, she shares her joy for the job as often as she can.
“Ms. Nix is one of the most caring people that I’ve ever met,” said principal Dr. Shawn Delamar.
Generations of students thought they were learning grammar, but the real lesson was life.
“A teacher’s impact for students all the way through their life should be a positive thing,” Nix said. “And that’s my goal.”
Her students say that’s what she’s done.
“I hope that I can do that to my kids,” Coles said while fighting back tears. “I hope that they will one day think of me the way that I think of her.”
Sounds like those lessons will last a lot longer than 51 years.
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