Ambassador Leaders congratulates and welcomes two remarkable educators!
Ambassador Leaders partners with teachers from around the country who travel to Summits and serve as leaders for students. These educators are dedicated to seeing students thrive both in and out of the classroom and to seeing students reach their full leadership potential. They ensure the safety and well-being of each of their students and shepherd them through curriculum culminating in a group presentation.
Our teacher leaders are truly the best of the best. That’s why we’re proud to introduce you to two of our leaders, Ms. Kimberly and Ms. MeekaAila, both of whom were recently honored as Teachers of the Year.
“Being a good leader is about being a good person.””
Meet Ms. Kimberly
At the end of her first year teaching, Kimberly was named her district’s New Teacher of the Year. Twenty years later, her career came full circle when she was named 2019 Teacher of the Year by the same district.
Kimbery has dedicated her life to teaching. She says, “once you walk into my classroom, you’re not a student anymore, you’re my child. I’m going to give you the best each day.”
When I asked Kimberly about her personal leadership style, she said “being a good leader is about being a good person.” She asks herself how she wants her students to be and then reflects those qualities in her own practice.
We’re thrilled she’ll be a leader at a Leadership in Action Summit at Harvard University.
Read more about Kim’s achievements here.
Meet Ms. Meekaaila
MeekaAila just completed her fourth year as an ESOL teacher at her middle school in the greater Atlanta metro. She was also named Teacher of the Year!
In addition to this honor, MeekaAila has previously been recognized as her school’s Community Teacher of the Year for her ability to build positive classroom community. She attributes this to her philosophy that students should “learn from one another and learn about each other’s differences.” She told me her students become family. In fact, they bring photos to her classroom each year to build a family gallery wall. MeekaAila says from this activity, “students begin to see their similarities despite their differences.”
When I asked about her personal leadership style, she said she believes in being a facilitator. She “gives students the necessary tools, and then steps back to let them lead.”
MeekaAila will bring her talents to Harvard University as a teacher leader this summer.
“I’m a facilitator. I give students the tools they need and step back to let them lead.” ”
By Corie Bales
Corie is the Academic Affairs Manager of Ambassador Leaders. As a lifelong educator and avid traveler, she believes in empowering students and teachers to learn and lead through experiential education.