Hutto Teacher Wins National Milken Educator Award

Howard Norman Elementary School kindergarten teacher Olivia Joseph’s jaw dropped Tuesday morning when she learned she was the recipient of the Milken Educator Award, a national recognition that celebrates outstanding teachers.

State and local leaders visited the Hutto Independent School District campus on Tuesday to award Joseph a $25,000 prize during a school assembly.

Joseph, a graduate of Hutto ISD, was the only teacher in Texas this year who won the award. She has taught for almost nine years.

“Since I was in kindergarten, I wanted to be a kindergarten teacher,” Joseph said. “I’m living out my dream. I’m so glad that it shows.”

Teachers aren’t often celebrated in the same way that athletes or entertainers are, said Jennifer Fuller, vice president of the Milken Educator Awards at the Milken Family Foundation.

“Isn’t it odd that teachers who help everybody else be successful haven’t had the same kind of recognition?” Fuller said. “That’s just not right.”

Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath told Howard Norman students on Tuesday that their school had some amazing teachers.

“Teaching is the most important profession in the country,” Morath said. “Every other profession actually depends on teaching. We are blessed to have so many skilled educators in our classrooms around the state.”

The Milken Family Foundation is a private foundation that supports the teaching profession and other initiatives.