Teacher of the Year dream come true for Irizarry

Carlos Irizarry’s wife isn’t laughing any more.

A couple of years ago Irizarry told his wife, Jennifer, that he wanted to be Lawton Public Schools Teacher of the Year.

“She kind of laughed,” he said.

Not deterred by his wife’s response, Irizarry decided to work toward his goal. His dream was realized in December 2024 when he was named LPS Secondary Teacher of the Year.

“I feel like it was quite a goal for me,” he said. Irizarry said he wanted to be Teacher of the Year mainly because the subject he teaches — Spanish — is an elective course.

“Normally, world language, some kids say, ‘Does this really matter?’ I wanted to focus on enriching students with the ability to enrich the community,” the Brooklyn native said as he sat at his desk at MacArthur Middle School, where he has taught since August 2019.

Irizarry said his journey on the path to becoming a teacher is rooted in his background growing up as a Latino in New York City.

“My story begins with my incredible mother, who raised me single-handedly while working tirelessly to ensure I had opportunities that she never had,” he wrote in his professional biography. “Her example of determination, resilience, and commitment to giving me a better life inspired me profoundly. She demonstrated the value of hard work, perseverance, and the importance of giving back to the community. Witnessing her daily sacrifices motivated me to strive for success, not just for myself but for the sake of making a difference in the lives of others.”

Making a difference in the lives of others is something Irizarry, whose students call him Mr. I, strives to do for each of his students.

The classroom may be the only time students get stability in their lives, he said.

“Our kids don’t get positive messages sent about them alot. We have to be encouragers because we don’t know what they are going through outside of school,” he said. “We have a choice when we go into a classroom. We have to try something new. I see some fellow educators and they just want to give up. Now is the time to embrace what is happening and try to keep a positive perspective.”

Keeping a positive attitude and taking a personal interest in his students is not lost on those in his Spanish I class.

“I like that he doesn’t just teach us with paper and pen,” said Jorja Smith, 14. “He uses real-life examples. If someone has an achievement, he mixes it in his lesson. He is very in tune with his students.”

She knew before she took his class that she wanted to be a teacher, but he has reinforced that desire.

“He has inspired me to be more than just a pencil and paper teacher,” she said. “I don’t think anyone could be as good as him.”

Emi Genck, 13, said Irizarry’s sense of humor is what she likes best.

“He’s funny as a teacher. He explains things really, really well. He makes jokes,” she said. “He makes games out of what we are doing. He explains it in detail so we can learn it easier.”

Genck said he has inspired her, too, to be a Spanish teacher.

Irizarry said he tries to stay up to date with his students and their vocabularies, although that often drives them nuts, he said.

“They say, ‘This guy knows how we speak’. I keep up with how they communicate. At least this way I know they are paying attention to me. Most of the time we have fun with it,” he said.

“He tries to listen to our vocabulary and incorporate that into our vocabulary. He uses today’s slang,” said Khloe Layne, 13.

For Kenzley McKinney, 12, her favorite part of class is when Irizarry uses emotions to get the lesson across, like when he uses facial expressions to define their vocabulary words.

On this particular day, Mr. I was doing just that. As he went over vocabulary words with his students, his facial expressions helped convey the meaning of the word.

His desire to draw out the best in his students has led Irizarry to start the GANAS project. Ganas, which means to have a desire to want to win, stands for growth, achievement, nurturing, action and service. It is a second semester project for his students designed to help them develop leadership skills. Irizarry said it is specifically designed for students who may not be high profile leaders.

The program allows the “quiet kid to step up as a leader,” he said. “Quiet, shy students have phenomenal ideas. It gives them a chance to come out of their shells” and to draw out abilities they may not even know they possess.

Developing students’ abilities ties in with what Irizarry wants his students to learn, even more than he wants them to learn Spanish.

“I want them to learn to be a better person. Don’t give up,” he said. “It is OK to fail as long as you know you will try harder. As long as you are trying, you will succeed.”

He said most of his students think it’s pretty cool that he has been named Secondary Teacher of the Year.

“They are really excited for me,” he said.

And his mom was pretty pleased, too.

“Yes, my Ma was super proud of this accomplishment,” Irizarry said.