The five were chosen from about 100 nominations made by students and parents.

Honorees were Melinda Chavez of Thornton Elementary, Temple; Jennifer Tonkinson, Tyler Elementary, Belton; Margaret Kiesle, Solid Rock Christian School, a homeschool; Abbie Harriman, Rogers High; and Priscilla Cortez, Holland High.

Several of the teachers choked back tears while listening to the nomination letters being read by grateful students and parents. The honored educators then talked about what inspires them as teachers.

“I learn from my students every day,” said Ms. Chavez, who has been a teacher for 14 years. “That’s the true joy of teaching, when you can find something a child doesn’t understand and turn that light bulb on.”

Dianne Symm, Ms. Chavez’s nominator, told the group of about 75 that her daughter has excelled in math thanks to the fourth grade teacher’s tutelage. Ms. Chavez continues to offer after-school tutoring to some former students.

“It’s fun because I get to grow along with them as they progress into algebra,” she said after the ceremony.

Another teacher who said she enjoys her job was Ms. Tonkinson, who sings, dances and plays with preschoolers in her Tyler classroom. Part of the Preschool Program for Children with Disabilities, many students in her class have autism, she said.

“You have to work hard to engage kids with autism,” the teacher of nine years said. “You have to be larger than life so they’ll pay attention to you. I’m a silly person and I appreciate the fun things they say and the songs we sing.”

“I love my job,” she added. “I can’t imagine doing anything else.”

Like Ms. Symm, the nominator for Ms. Tonkinson was an appreciative mother.

“Jennifer welcomed (our son) with open arms and has loved him with her whole heart ever since,” said Kristy Goonan. “Without Jennifer, I fear our son would be lost,” she added.

A student also told those in attendance that she recognized she could have been lost academically had she not received one-on-one attention from her teacher and mother, Ms. Kiesle.

“No matter how hard she tried, I simply could not learn even basic reading,” Elizabeth said, recalling the struggle with Auditory Processing Disorder, a learning disability. “But mom would not give up. She continued to reexplain concepts and invent new ways to teach the material.

“Finally, I mastered reading,” said Elizabeth, who will graduate in 10 days. “Mom helped me defeat the odds and have a great time doing it.”

The Telegram’s first Golden Apple winner from a homeschool, Ms. Kiesle said she has always had a passion for teaching.

“My earliest teaching memory was when I was 6 years old, dragging my sister, brother and neighborhood kids into the backyard to teach them when I’m sure they would have rather been doing any number of other things in the summer,” said Ms. Kiesle, who earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education from Indiana University. A teacher for 27 years, she also works with students preparing for the General Equivalency Diploma.

A relative newcomer to the profession, Ms. Harriman was honored for her work as a tutoring program teacher and debate coach at Rogers High.

Sophomore Justin Flores honored Ms. Harriman, who has taught for two years and admitted she sometimes is mistaken for being a student.

“When I help a student, I think ‘how would Ms. Harriman handle this?’” Justin said. “The way she helps people is something I would like to live by. She has a lot of patience.”

Ms. Harriman, who went to Pepperdine University in California, said she never expected to take this career path.

“I went to California to live this adventurous life and met my husband, who is a teacher, while I was visiting Central Texas for Christmas,” said Ms. Harriman, who also has numerous family members in education. “Now I realize how meaningful their work has been over the years. I think there is nothing better than to teach these wonderful kids.”

Ms. Cortez, a biology, chemistry and anatomy teacher, also said she values time spent with her students in Holland.

“I get to know them on a personal level,” said Ms. Cortez, who has taught for six years. “They become my family and I treat them as my own.”

Her nominator, eleventh-grader Sallie Robinson, said Ms. Cortez’s personal concern has turned her life around.

“I used to not care. Not care at all,” Sallie said. “Ms. Cortez always told me it wasn’t good and I should think positive. I should do my work, get more sleep and eat a healthy breakfast.

“At first I thought she was just nagging me because I was lazy,” she said. “I soon realized she was trying to encourage me to better myself. So I started listening to her …Things got easier for me. I became a little happier.”