64 years in the classroom: Meet teacher who first started in 1959

HOUSTON, Texas -- DeAnda Elementary School teacher Dr. Johnnie Carter has seen a lot of changes in the classroom over the years. After all, she first started teaching in Houston Independent School District back in 1959, the year before schools desegregated.

Dr. Carter first started teaching at the old Gregory Elementary School, which later became the Gregory-Lincoln Educational Center. She taught elementary, middle school and high school over the years, before starting at DeAnda Elementary in 2011.

Although she's been in the classroom for more than 60 years, Dr. Carter says she has no plans on retiring any time soon.

"This has been my life's work. It has been my life's study," said Dr. Carter. "What keeps me coming back is that I have a record that stands for itself and I certainly do not want to rule out the notion that the parents of the children that I have taught and the children themselves have all spoken of being better off because they were in my class."

Editor's note: This report was originally published in February 2023.