Texas/2022: Working in a challenging job during a trying period the past few years, these teachers have gone even further and deeper than most.


Killeen ISD secondary education leaders honored lead teachers and content leaders during a recognition ceremony Tuesday at the Jackson Professional Learning Center. District instructional specialists took turns expressing appreciation for each content area team before bringing up the teachers for a group photo.


The content areas include math, reading, science, social studies, Career and Technical Education, technology applications and Advanced Placement. Those teachers have labored the past three years to write curriculum for the school district, including sequencing and mapping lessons and identifying priorities. Assistant Superintendent for Secondary Services Susan Buckley said the content teams have put in more than 13,000 hours to enhance KISD instruction.


“We count on you and you always show up,” she said to the assembled group of teachers. She called the group of lead teachers and content leaders the glue that holds the curriculum delivery effort together. Secondary education leaders also honored lead teachers that serve as leaders within grade levels and academic disciplines. Those lead teachers represented math, reading, science, social studies, Career and Technical Education and technology applications.


At the end of the gathering, those among the lead teachers and content leaders who had earned a campus teacher of the year award in any year posed for a photo – there were a lot.


The lead teachers serve as district conduits to teachers at the campus level, said social studies District Instructional Specialist Kelly Shellhart.


The content teams have worked the past three years to build the district curriculum, mostly laboring during the summer. They help to determine the order of lessons and set priority standards. “This group goes above and beyond what is expected of a teacher,” said Shellhart. “They use their personal time to get the mission done and support teachers.”


Those content leaders, she said, not only put in extra hours to draw up teaching plans that benefit all secondary teachers. They also build and maintain their own knowledge base in their content area. “They touch every single secondary student and teacher in the district,” she said. “They have a wide reach, and they deserve recognition.”