Lampasas High School English teacher Judith McGhee didn’t believe the news when she was named Lampasas ISD’s Secondary Teacher of the Year.
“My first reaction gave me a taste of Impostor’s Syndrome – surely, they didn’t mean me, right? There are so many teachers who deserve this recognition,” she said.
McGhee’s journey to earn the teacher-ofthe- year title started years ago. Growing up in between Bend and Lometa, McGhee was eager to follow in her mother’s footsteps as a teacher. Also, McGhee was motivated by her high school ag teacher, Christie Guinn.
“She was a hero of mine,” McGhee said. “I thought, if she can be an ag teacher, so can I! So that’s how it began.”
Along with Guinn, English teachers such as Virginia Lawerence (now Hamilton), Jan Klose, Becky Isom, Bonnie Millican, Lucy Walker, Judy Hail, Joy Ryan, Ruthie Martin, Virginia Hankle and Sara Roos all had significant influences on McGhee’s path.
McGhee still remembers an attempt to finesse her way through a research paper in Roos’ high school English class that included fabricated quotes, citations and sources, leading to the only F she ever received in school.
“She taught me some very important lessons and never lost her kindness or patience with me,” McGhee said of Roos. “Years later, when I came ‘home,’ she was my department head, and she continued to teach me until her retirement a few years ago. I now teach in her old classroom and remember her daily. Everything really did work out in the end.”
After graduating from LHS in 1998, McGhee attended Texas A&M University to pursue a major in ag leadership and development. After realizing she wasn’t a fit for the large university, she decided to transfer to Sul Ross State University, where earned her degree in English literature with a minor in animal science.
McGhee’s first teaching job was in Kermit, just west of Odessa. After a year there, she ventured back east for a do-it- all role within Star ISD.
“Some of my duties included teaching five grade levels of English, teaching ag/animal science, directing the One-Act Play and announcing the six-man football games,” McGhee said. “I learned so much that year, but by the end I was ready to come ‘home’ to Lampasas.”
McGhee started her career at LHS in 2009 as an agriculture and English teacher. After one year teaching ag, she transitioned full time into English for two years before assuming her public speaking class and becoming a speech and debate team sponsor. In 2018, she became the school’s UIL Academics coordinator.
As a senior English teacher, McGhee relishes the opportunity to help students prepare for the future, especially those with a lack of support at home.
“I’ve been able to help some get into college or find jobs, or just listen as they work out the speed bumps they face as they get ready for the real world,” McGhee said. “It’s the reason I love teaching seniors -- I’m one of the last classes/teachers they’ll have before their life changes, whatever that may mean for each kiddo.”
One of McGhee’s favorite lessons in her English classroom is “literature circles,” where students read a novel in a small group. Students have jobs to complete each week during the reading before developing an end-of-project test.
“I’ve had numerous students tell me it’s the only way they ever thought they’d read a whole book from beginning to end,” she said. “Hey, I’ll take it!”
McGhee’s drive to add more onto her plate by teaching public speaking and serving as UIL Academics coordinator comes from her late friend and mentor Janet Melton. Melton taught threeplus decades at LHS before losing a battle to cancer 13 years ago.
“I took her class every year when I was in high school,” McGhee said. “Janet was a force in my life from pre-K at First Baptist Church through adulthood, and she rolled out the red carpet for me when I came home to teach.
“After her funeral, my principal asked if I’d take over her program, and with a lot of prayer and reflection, I accepted,” she said. “And 13 years later, here we are!”
McGhee enjoys coordinating UIL teams, planning travel and helping coaches ensure the brightest Badgers are brought on board to enable success. McGhee has witnessed plenty of memorable moments in UIL, but none stack up as high as this year’s third-place overall finish at the regional competition.
“This year has to be at the top of the list,” she said. “As the coordinator, I know the work and dedication it takes to place overall at regionals. All of our teams showed up, and several put points on the board and allowed us to place so highly, including our awesome One-Act Play.”
As the school year winds down, McGhee’s Secondary Teacher of the Year award serves as added motivation to continue helping her students reach new heights.
“Absolutely,” McGhee said. “This recognition just reminds me that even on the rough days, I’m doing something right.”
