Articles
Each year, Humanities Texas presents statewide awards recognizing Texas classroom teachers who have made exemplary contributions to teaching, curriculum development, and extracurricular programming. We are pleased to feature three 2026 Outstanding Teaching Award recipients and their recent award presentations. Each winner received $5,000, plus an additional $1,000 for their schools to support continued excellence in humanities instruction.
Read more about these remarkable educators below, and stay tuned for upcoming newsletter features on our other winners!
Humanities Texas is currently accepting nominations for the 2027 Outstanding Teaching Award cycle. Nominations will be accepted through Monday, December 1, 2026. Visit our Awards page for more information.
Mark Dostert, Challenge Early College High School, Houston
On October 8, 2026, U.S. Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher and Humanities Texas Board Member Todd Romero presented Mark Dostert with an Outstanding Teaching of the Humanities Award during a ceremony at Challenge Early College High School in Houston.
Dostert has taught secondary English language arts in Houston since 2003. He was named Challenge's Teacher of the Year in 2020–21 and has served as a reader-scorer for the AP Literature exam for the past four summers. He emphasizes contextual learning in the classroom, which teaches that to best comprehend a text, you must first understand the context in which it was created.
"Winning this award is tangible evidence that I have helped students connect intellectually and emotionally with literary and rhetorical texts," Dostert said. "This is any English teacher's mission—to create conditions in which students are willing to read, to think, to speak, and to write about the stories, poems, novels, plays, essays, articles, and speeches that you introduce them to."
"[Mr. Dostert] is an educator whose impact is defined by a rare blend of innovation, scholarly expertise, and a servant-leader's heart," said Kenya Davis-Flowers, district postsecondary English coordinator. "What truly sets him apart is an instructional style that is entirely his own and unlike any we have seen from other teachers. . . . [Mr. Dostert] truly represents the very best of Houston's educators."
Nikolai Burgardt, Chavez High School, Houston
On October 13, 2026, U.S. Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia and Humanities Texas Exhibitions Curator Jenny Peterson presented Nikolai Burgardt with an Award for Outstanding Early-Career Teaching during a ceremony at Chavez High School in Houston.
Burgardt has taught English language arts at Chavez High School for two years. He currently sponsors his high school's UNICEF chapter and received a Texas House of Representatives Outstanding Service Award for frontline COVID service in 2021. Though early in his teaching career, Burgardt stepped up when his district lost many teachers at once and offered to teach IB Language and Literature classes to more than three hundred junior and senior students.
"Education in the humanities is not about students learning rigid facts about the world and finding an ideology or viewpoint they agree with," Burgardt said. "Education in the humanities is about exploring the world by appreciating the incredible diversity of thought, culture, and philosophy. By analyzing the words of great writers and thinkers, students should ask the same questions about the world posed in studied works. By exploring those questions, students can form unique views about the world that equip them with the skills to question and answer anything life throws at them."
Burgardt's class of 2026 wrote a letter stating, "In [Mr. Burgardt's] classroom there is only one kind of mind: one capable of excellence through growth. . . . The most notable thing about Mr. Burgardt is his ability to center the student. It is imperative to him that he silence his own ideas and instead work alongside students to foster their creativity."
Kimberly Molidor, Henry Wade Juvenile Justice Campus, Dallas
On October 21, 2026, Humanities Texas Director of Public Programs Kelsi Tyler presented Kimberly Molidor with an Outstanding Teaching of the Humanities Award during a ceremony at the Henry Wade Juvenile Justice Campus in Dallas.
Molidor has taught secondary English language arts for nineteen years. Named Dallas County’s Teacher of the Year in 2024, she also coordinates ESL, student support, and cross-curricular planning at her school. In the classroom, she helps students understand how what they learn in one subject applies to other disciplines and the wider world.
"Winning this award means so much to me," said Molidor. "I know there are so many great teachers out there doing amazing work every day, so to be recognized like this pushes me to make sure I make all of those teachers proud of the work I do. It pushes me to make sure that, when my students leave me, they are not just able to pass a test, but they are able to see the world for all its richness and understand how they can contribute to it in positive ways."
"[Ms. Molidor] shows what caring and brave teaching looks like: high standards with support and relevance," said Dallas County Juvenile Department Instructional Manager Ardis McCann. "She helps students see that the humanities are not just school subjects but important tools for understanding life and the world around us."
