Whatateacher 2026
A Partnership Between Whataburger and the Longview ISD Foundation, Inc.
 
For the fourth year, Whataburger partnered with the Longview ISD Foundation’s annual Lamplighter Award, choosing one of the Longview ISD educator Lamplighter Award honorees as Whataburger’s Whatateacher.
 
To select the annual Lamplighter Award honorees on each Longview ISD campus, first, students in grades five, eight, and twelve wrote essays about their special educators.  These essays described how the educators have positively influenced the students, going far beyond their daily duties to create the best learning environment for students while also nurturing students by recognizing their individual needs and creating a sense of family within the classroom. 
 
Longview ISD Foundation members read the essays and chose the most well-written essays, ones that truly explained how each educator influenced the student.  Students then honored their special educators at a dinner at Pinecrest Country Club.  This year’s event, the 26th annual banquet, was held on Thursday, April 9. 
 
Whataburger and Cindy Sierra, field marketing coordinator for East Texas and Northwest Louisiana, wanted to be a part of the Lamplighter Awards event by naming one of the honorees the Whataburger Whatateacher.  Ms. Sierra asked the Foundation to choose an essay that best exemplified the qualities students think excellent educators should possess, and that one Lamplighter Award educator honoree would be named the Whatateacher of the year and receive $1,000 from Whataburger. 
 
This year the Foundation chose Charles Mosley, Project Lead the Way Engineering teacher and Technology Student Association advisor at Forest Park Middle School, as the 2026 Whatateacher. Gerard Osorio, eighth-grader at Forest Park Middle School, honored Mr. Mosley.  In Gerard’s insightfully written essay, he said, “Because of Mr. Mosley, I can finally say that I have a true direction in my life.  I want to lead and grow each day to find new opportunities and make an impact on others like Mr. Mosley made on me. That is the power of a real teacher—a lamplighter—someone who lights up places that even the students can’t see.  Mr. Mosley is my lamplighter, and I can truly say that my lamp is now turned on!”
 
Past Whatateacher recipients are Jatinder Jhass, Foster Middle School language arts teacher, currently Longview High School English teacher; Marsha Childers, Longview High School International Baccalaureate English teacher; and Claudia Viramontes,  LEAD Academy High School biology teacher.