Students motivate teacher running for national honor

When Shirley Preyan walked into a sixth-grade classroom at Young Men’s Leadership Academy at Fred F. Florence Middle School right after spring break in 2023, the students didn’t bother to hide what they were thinking.

“The boys were like, ‘Why are you here? Like, school is almost over. Why are we getting a new teacher?’” Preyan recalled.

Most educators would have taken that as a negative sign. Preyan, however, took it as confirmation that she was exactly where she was meant to be.

Now, after 14 years in Dallas ISD, including three at Young Men’s Leadership Academy, Preyan is in the quarterfinals for America’s Favorite Teacher, a national, multi-round competition decided largely by public votes. She’s already advanced through five rounds, going from a field of 100 down to being the top vote-getter in her group.

“I started in a group of 100 teachers and had to make the cut for the top 40, then 20, 10, and five, until I was finally number one,” Preyan said. “I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is so crazy.’”

Now, the quarterfinals stand between her and a shot at the title, a $25,000 prize, a trip to Hawaii, a feature in Reader’s Digest, and what she cares about most: a schoolwide assembly with Bill Nye.

“I can’t wait for the kids to have that assembly,” Preyan said. “I want them to know great teachers are motivated by great students, and I want them to have the cameras on them to see, ‘Look at these amazing students, these amazing boys, who have been so resilient in the turnaround years of this school.’”

Preyan is originally from Detroit and came to Dallas in 2012 as a Teach for America corps member, entering the district through an alternative certification program. The moment she stepped into a classroom, something shifted.

“Once I got in the classroom, I was obsessed. I was like, ‘How could I ever do anything else in my life?’” she said. “And I knew in that second year, this was something I’d be doing long term.”

Preyan taught at Benjamin Franklin International Exploratory Academy for three years, then at T.W. Browne Middle School for another three, serving as a teacher, instructional coach, and assistant principal. After that, she helped co‑found Ignite Middle School and worked there for five years as an assistant principal.

Then life changed: she had a daughter and stepped away from work for a year. When it was time to return, the pull was clear.

“All I could think about was teaching,” Preyan says. “Coming back to teaching has been the best experience for me.”

Her sixth-grade classroom at Young Men’s Academy runs on a set of shared values the boys recite daily: productivity, literacy, urgency, community, plus additional values the boys bring to the table). Productivity, Preyan said, is non‑negotiable.

“P is the first value and stands for productivity. They have to try first,” Preyan said. “I always make it safe for them to try, and I never back off the expectations. The boys always meet me there.”

Underneath this is a deeply intentional structure designed for middle school boys who, Preyan believes, are too often misunderstood.

“Boys can be easily overlooked, especially in middle school, even though they are experiencing so much change,” she said. “When we see them only for their choices and decisions—rather than their potential—we aren’t truly seeing them at all.”

That mix of high expectations and relentless care comes from a life that has taught her exactly what school can mean. Preyan grew up in the foster care system. She was adopted and “unadopted” twice, moved through six foster homes and two group homes, and learned early that stability was never guaranteed.

“Growing up in the foster care system, school was my place of safety,” she said. “It was where I knew I would be safe, and I had really amazing teachers who took great care of me. Some of them knew that I was in foster care, and some of them didn’t. It didn’t matter to them.”

Those teachers changed the trajectory of her life, which is why she talks about teaching with the urgency of someone who has seen the alternative. 

“It restored my deep belief in the importance of boys’ education and how much they deserve great teachers,” she remarked.

Preyan’s care for her boys doesn’t stop at the classroom door. Several times a year she sends parents bilingual, highly personalized progress letters, outlining what she notices about each student, where they are academically, and what goals they’re working toward. 

“I send this home to them multiple times throughout the year,” she said. “Parents appreciate seeing recent scores and trends laid out clearly.”

Every Christmas, she also prints and sends home a photograph of each sixth grader—never just a text message, always on paper—capturing them in a moment of effort or pride.

“We stop praising boys much too early in their lives,” she noted. “I never miss the opportunity to tell them how amazing their boys are.”

Preyan’s goal is not perfection, but growth from even the smallest starting point.

“Even if I only had a little bit to give, I hope the boys remember I took that and helped them grow from it,” she said.

To cast your vote for Shirley Preyan, click here. 

To vote for Soujanya Veeravalli, also an America’s Favorite Teacher quarter finalist and math teacher at Dr. L.G. Pinkston Sr. High School, click here.