AUSTIN, Texas — Two Austin-area teachers have been selected among the six finalists for the 2023 Texas Teacher of the Year.
The six finalists are:
Texas Elementary Teacher of the Year
- Lisa Mackey, Fox Elementary School, Klein ISD
- Shelley Jeoffroy, Otis Brown Elementary, Irving ISD
- Kari Johnston, Perez Elementary School, Austin ISD
Texas Secondary Teacher of the Year
- Chris McLeod, Brazoswood High School, Brazosport ISD
- Andrea Larson, McNeil High School, Round Rock ISD
- Tricia Shay, Borger High School, Borger ISD
The Texas Association of School Administrators provided the following descriptions for our two local finalists:
Kari Johnston
"Kari Johnston is a fifth-grade bilingual teacher at Perez Elementary in Austin ISD, where she has served since the beginning of her five-year career in education. She holds several leadership positions on her campus, including Head of Professional Learning Communities to support vertical collaboration across grade levels. She is also the Science Lead for training and writing campus-wide curriculum and the Student Leadership Pathway Lead. Johnston says that she believes her role as a bilingual educator is to teach essential objectives while sustaining the culture and language of her students. Her classroom is filled with culturally responsive English and Spanish literature, and her student-led bilingual writing lessons give students the ability to ideate without limitations. She teaches critical thinkers who know that, without appreciating every perspective, their learning is incomplete. A phrase that has become familiar to her classroom, she says, is, “We can do hard things.” Johnston holds a BS in Applied Learning and Development with a major in bilingual education from The University of Texas at Austin and is pursuing a master’s in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus in bilingual/bicultural education."
Andrea Larson
Andrea Larson teaches multilingual learners at Round Rock ISD’s McNeil High School, where she has taught since 2002. She works to provide all learners with equitable access to high-quality educational experiences that value their diverse backgrounds and academic experiences by designing curriculum and instructional materials to meet the needs of multilingual learners. She also shares best practices with new teachers by serving as a teacher mentor/coach and presenting theory and methodology to student teachers in the UTEACH Liberal Arts program. "Students have so much to share, and we all have so much to learn about how much better our lives can be when we celebrate individual differences as well as the beauty of the whole," Larson said. "I hope that students see the value of the culture, experiences, beliefs, interests, and stories they bring to the classroom and to the world, and I hope that they see the ways in which they are connected to one another and to the community at large. Our differences should not keep us apart from one another, nor do students have to learn to blend in to belong. When we bring our whole selves, not just the pretty parts, but our trials as well as our triumphs, we are truly able to contribute something valuable to our society." Larson holds a BA in Spanish and Psychology from The University of Texas at Austin and a M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction with a specialization in English for Speakers of Other Languages from Concordia University in Portland, Oregon.
“Texas teachers perform miracles every day as they inspire children even in the most challenging of times,” said Kevin Brown, executive director of TASA, which has coordinated the Texas Teacher of the Year program since 2011. “Public school teachers are critical to the success of individual children and our society as a whole. Those who choose to teach are national heroes, and these six finalists are the best among them. They have distinguished themselves among thousands of outstanding, dedicated teachers across our nation have who have answered the call to serve."
The six finalist will be interviewed on Oct. 20 by a panel of judges, who will select one winner from each category. The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on Oct. 21 at Kalahari Resort and Convention Center in Round Rock.
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