“We like to take time to thank our Team & Family for being the heartbeat of IDEA and the real-life connection between our mission and our students,” says Tom Torkelson, Founder and CEO of IDEA Public Schools.
One of the most staff-favored forms of appreciation is the Employee Appreciation Suite at the AT&T Center in San Antonio. This privately funded space is leveraged to recognize and reward high-performing teachers, leaders, and staff. Over the past year, IDEA has hosted hundreds of educators and support staff in the suite. Staff have been rewarded with tickets for becoming a Master Teacher, achieving campus and professional development goals, submitting employee referrals, and to simply and sincerely show gratitude for the work and dedication of our Team & Family.
Cedina Gutierrez, English Language Arts teacher at IDEA Eastside was recently rewarded with tickets to the suite for excelling to a level four teacher. Receiving the tickets was a proud moment for her.
“These incentives help teachers know that hard work pays off. It motivates us to do well in all that we do—strive for the best for all of our scholars so that they do their best,” said Cedina. “The appreciation shows that our hard work and dedication in the classroom is truly valued and noticed.”
Our staff members are our most valuable asset in achieving our mission of College for All Children. And with more than 5,600 employees across Texas and Louisiana, we believe we have to acknowledge and reward when our staff sweat the small stuff and do whatever it takes to ensure our scholars and fellow team members are successful.
