Texas Border Business
McALLEN, Texas – Alissa Shirah, a math educator from McAllen ISD’s Morris Middle School, became the third McAllen ISD teacher in a row to be named Regional Teacher of the Year, it was announced July 30.
The Region One Education Service Center celebrated 66 district teachers of the year from 36 school systems and announced its regional elementary and secondary honorees during its Annual Teacher of the Year ceremony held at the Region One ESC Conference Center in Edinburg.
Shirah, who won the Regional Secondary Teacher award, has taught 23 years with the last nine spent at Morris. Twice, she has been recognized as a Teacher Incentive Allotment Exemplary designated teacher.
A McAllen ISD teacher has now won the award 21 times since 1991. Shirah is the third teacher in as many years to win the Regional award, joining the Instruction and Guidance Center’s Erick Morin (2024 winner) and Rowe High’s Isidro Lerma (2025 winner).
Much of her career has been spent teaching at the elementary level but, since 2017, she has taught sixth-grade math at Morris. She has also coached the chess team and the bassoon for band students. A published author, Shirah has participated in the school Career Fair, speaking to students on how to write and even publish their ideas.
She has spent many years guiding student mentors and likes to say that every student deserves a chance to be taught in their best learning style, be it visual, auditory, reading, or writing. The trick is planning for all learners she wrote in a submitted essay.
“I know exactly who I am as an educator,” Shirah wrote in her application. “I am the teacher that will put on a show every single day to keep the students involved.”
She is demanding of students, but in a fun way. That includes composing or arranging songs to help students understand math concepts. One of those songs, sung to the tune of Row, Row, Row Your Boat, features lyrics focused on perimeter, area and volume.
Her “Shirah Song Book” is included in each student’s interactive math journal.
“Why does it work? It reaches every learner,” she explained. “The words are printed for the visual learner. We sing it constantly for the auditory learner. There are movements for the kinesthetic learner. There is repetition for the emerging learner.”
Shirah has also helped write McAllen ISD’s sixth-grade math curriculum during five of the past six years. As part of that work, she collaborated with educators from the district’s middle schools and shared an interactive math journal she created for her students. The journal, which includes vocabulary, examples and step-by-step instructions, is now used at other McAllen ISD campuses, according to her application.
At the event, Shirah was presented with a $1,750 check from Lone Star National Bank, Texas Regional Bank and Waymaker Leadership Development.
About the Teacher of the Year Program
District Teachers of the Year are nominated by their school systems and submit an application with essay questions. The questions ask nominees to describe their instructional practices, efforts to create an inclusive school culture, connections between their classrooms and communities, growth as teacher leaders and messages to the education profession.
Each of the state’s 20 regional education service centers selects an elementary and secondary teacher of the year to advance to the Texas Teacher of the Year program, facilitated by the Texas Association of School Administrators. The 40 Regional Teachers of the Year are considered for the state honor, with judges selecting six finalists, three elementary and three secondary, based on their applications. Finalists will be announced Aug. 25 and interviewed Oct. 15. The 2027 Texas Elementary and Secondary Teachers of the Year will be announced Oct. 16.
About McAllen ISD
McAllen ISD is a 2025 winner of the state’s highest rating of an “A” grade and a 2025 winner of the state’s Postsecondary Readiness Distinction. The district is home to 31 campuses and approximately 19,500 students. To learn more about McAllen ISD’s schools and programs, contact Student Outreach at 956-687-MISD (6473).
