Elementary school teacher Kayla Jackson has earned recognition from the Florida State Department Education. Photo Credit: Florida State Department of Education

There are many fine educators who work in the state of Florida. One of them, Kayla Jackson, has earned recognition from her state’s Department of Education as one of 74 District Teachers of the Year, and one of five finalists for Florida’s 2024 Teacher of the Year.

Kayla inaugurated her teaching career at Memorial Elementary School in Highlands County when the school first opened in 2008. Currently, she serves as a fifth-grade math and science teacher. She has a reputation for being a high impact teacher multiple years in a row, and her students have achieved significant learning gains on state assessments. But she says her role goes beyond presenting lessons to also knowing her students and what they are capable of learning when challenged. “I see in my students what some don’t yet see in themselves,” she declares. “I set high expectations for them, and push them to achieve goals they might not think are achievable.”

In addition to her work with young students, Kayla is a mentor to beginning teachers, she supports her school’s Student of the Month program, she leads professional development for her colleagues, and she serves on the Curriculum Leadership Team.

Kayla earned her Bachelor’s degree in Education from the University of South Florida.

This year’s five 2024 Teacher of the Year state finalists were chosen from more than 185,000 public school teachers throughout the state. After each school district selects its teacher of the year, a committee comprised of teachers, principals, parents, and the business community reviews each district application. The honorees are selected using the criteria of outstanding ability to teach and the ability to communicate knowledge of the subject taught, professional development, philosophy of teaching, and outstanding school and community service.