Brownwood ISD’s 2023-24 Distinguished Teacher of the Year at Woodland Heights Elementary School, Dawn Hilburn’s inclination to return to the classroom struck her a little later in life.

“I never really had a desire to become a teacher growing up,” Hilburn said. “I got a B.B.A. degree in Business and had intentions of going to law school. That changed when I became pregnant with my first child and decided that I didn’t want to go that route. I was talking to a friend who was getting her teaching degree and felt inspired to do the same. I truly believe that was a God thing and He led me to do what I was called to do.”

And for the last 31 years, Hilburn has guided students in Bridgeport, Coleman, Merkel and Brownwood. She’ll be starting her seventh year at Woodland Heights Elementary in August, where she teaches first grade.

“I teach math, reading, science and social studies,” Hilburn said. “Reading is definitely my favorite. I love watching my first graders grow as readers.”

Reflecting on her days as a student, Hilburn recalled a few teachers who made a lasting impression.

“While I was blessed with amazing teachers throughout my education, two of my high school teachers, Mr. Barclay and Joe Coppinger, and my basketball coach, Coach Carmichael, left their impact on me,” Hilburn said. “They were all great teachers and they inspired me to be a better person.”

Hilburn is a graduate of Cross Plains High School, then graduated from Tarleton State University with a B.B.A. degree in General Business and later returned to Tarleton and went through the TMATE program, an alternative teacher certification program.

As for the most rewarding aspect of teaching, Hilburn said, “Gosh, that’s a hard question because there are truly many rewarding parts of teaching. For me, I think it comes down to those tiny moments that happen daily in the classroom that outsiders rarely see. For example, I had a little boy that came into first grade as a non-reader. He was reading a page of a book to me and after successfully reading it, he looked up at me with complete joy and wonder on his face and said, ‘I can read! I can really read!’ Those are the moments that I find the most rewarding.”

Regarding her excitement for teaching in the future, Hilburn said, “Today, through the use of technology, our students can go anywhere in the world and learn anything they want. Education is constantly evolving and as a teacher it’s exciting to be able to adapt my craft in order to meet the changing needs in the classroom.”

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BrownwoodNews.com will highlight one Brown County educator per day in the month of July, based on nominations received on our Facebook page, for our Teacher Feature series.