Tim Fails, a geography teacher at Flower Mound High School’s 9th grade campus, was awarded the Texas Secondary Teacher of the Year Award on Friday by the Texas Association of School Administrators.
“Tim is excited about life,” said Flower Mound High School 9th grade campus principal Jeff Brown in a TASA video. “He really enjoys what he does day in and day out here at FM9.”
The 18-year classroom veteran was part of the inaugural staff that transitioned from Flower Mound High School to the 9th grade campus in 2014 and has served as the school’s social studies department chair since.
Fails said understanding the relationship between people and the planet is essential, and his classrooms serves as a space to “shrink the world” for 90 minutes a day.
He is always trying to form great relationships with his students.
“If I’m not invested in them, they’ll never be invested in me,” said Fails. “I have to get to know them on a deeper level so they know I care about them and how they do in class.”
Along with teaching duties, Fails has spent time as an assistant tennis coach, a student council sponsor, cricket club sponsor and was briefly the ping pong club sponsor.
Fails said his time as the tennis coach was one of his favorite times as an educator because it allowed him to “form lifelong relationships with players, their families and fellow coaches.”
Before working with Lewisville ISD and Flower Mound High School, Fails was no stranger to Denton County.
He graduated from Krum High School and then became the first from his family to graduate college when he earned his bachelor’s degree in social sciences from the University of North Texas.
To learn more about Fails and see the full video put together by TASA for the award, click here.
