Teresa Cage
Teresa Cage is an accomplished educator, independent writing and editing professional, and prolific author. With a career spanning 32 years in education, she currently teaches English as a Second Language (ESL) to students from pre-K through 5th grade across two campuses within Killeen ISD. Her daily work includes supervising breakfast programs, leading small-group instruction for multilingual learners from diverse backgrounds—including students from the Philippines and various countries in Africa—and preparing students for the TELPAS language proficiency assessment. Alongside her educational work, she is the author of nine novels across genres, including horror, romance, and humor, with her recent work Love Lives Again and an ongoing sequel project continuing her lifelong commitment to storytelling, which began when she wrote her first novel as a high school freshman.
Before entering the field of K–12 education, Teresa pursued advanced academic study in anthropology at the University of California, Riverside, where she was working toward her PhD while raising three sons as a single parent. Faced with the realities of balancing family responsibilities and academic demands, she was unable to complete a leave of absence for her dissertation. A pivotal moment followed when her professor recognized her natural talent for teaching, and that same night her son’s principal invited her to teach second grade. This unexpected transition marked the beginning of her K–12 teaching career, moving from lecturing college students in archaeology to inspiring young learners in elementary classrooms—an experience she describes as one of the most meaningful and rewarding years of her life.
Throughout her career, Teresa has distinguished herself as an innovator in education and experiential learning. In the 1990s, she developed interactive historical reenactments in California, bringing history to life by portraying historical figures and engaging students in immersive learning experiences. She also founded a company that performed school-based historical reenactments, including large-scale demonstrations featuring trained wild mustangs adopted from the Bureau of Land Management. Her contributions to education earned her recognition and honors, including a nomination for the Graymeyer Award in Education in 1993, consideration as Disney Teacher of the Year, and acknowledgment by the state of California as an expert in Language Arts, Social Studies, and Science curriculum development. Across all her endeavors, Teresa continues to be driven by a passion for education, creativity, and storytelling, blending academic expertise with imagination to inspire learners of all ages.
• California State Polytechnic University-Pomona - MA, Education
• University of California, Riverside - MS, Anthropology
• University of California, Riverside - BA, Anthropology
• Nominated for Graymeyer Award in Education (1993)
• Nominated for Disney Teacher of the Year
• Honored by California State Legislature for curriculum project dedication
• Selected as expert in multiple curriculum areas by State of California
• American Archaeological Society
• TCEA (Texas technology education association)
• ATPE (Association of Texas Professional Educators)
• NEA
What do you attribute your success to?
Being able to have a relationship with your children is the most important key to success. If you don't have a relationship with them, if they don't know that you care, they're not going to learn from you. But as soon as they know that you're there for them, everything shifts. That's how I can be successful.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I ever received was actually advice I didn't take: don't be a teacher. There is so much positive about being a teacher - the kids, the love, the moments when the light bulb turns on for a child. Those are moments you'll never forget. But there's so much wrong in education that comes from the administration, not from the actual act of teaching. They're trying to make teachers be robots, scripting every moment of our day so that if you open one 5th grade room during a math lesson, you should be able to move to the next room and pick up the thread immediately. That's not teaching, that's being a robot. With the emphasis on testing, we're churning out children that are great test takers. Despite being told not to become a teacher, I've enjoyed proving them wrong and have no regrets about my choice.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Investigate the district you select before you sign that contract. Find out what's going on. That was a mistake I made - don't make that one. It's the dishonesty that you discover after you're in education that's enough to just make you wonder why you ever became a teacher.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenges are scripted education and all the assessments. They're pushing scripted curriculum on everybody, and when scores aren't as good as they should be, they ask what you're doing wrong. But they've given you a class of students and they've got you teaching a concept a day - kids can't learn that fast. We've forgotten that kids are the biggest challenge. All the changes that are coming up in the framework, changes in Texas - it's a nightmare.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Integrity is the shining star that lights my way. My grandmother and parents both reinforced it constantly - it's doing the hard thing when you know it's the right thing to do, even if it may cost you. Honesty always, which kind of goes hand-in-hand with integrity. I tell my students all the time, if you tell me the truth always, I will always back you up, even with other teachers, because the truth matters. If you have those two, you've got it. I also value being a kind person, someone who jumps in and helps without being asked.
Locations
Killeen ISD
Killeen, TX 76543