LEAD Southeast Middle Teacher Named Mentor Teacher of the Year
LEAD Public Schools is proud to share that Kristen Collier, a 7th grade science teacher at LEAD Southeast Middle, has been named Mentor Teacher of the Year by the Nashville Teacher Residency.
“Having been in my first year as a mentor, I wanted to be especially proactive in the role so I pushed my mentee to invest as much in the classroom as quickly as possible,” said Collier. “This recognition motivates me to continue to uphold high expectations for our LEAD community because anything worth having is worth working for. I want to model the responsibility we have to our community to bring our best selves forward, because a win for one is a win for all.”
Collier mentored two educators this year–one of whom will be the new 8th grade science teacher at LEAD Southeast Middle next school year. Through mentorship, Collier helped her mentees develop classroom management skills, improve their ability to quickly deliver content knowledge, and strengthen engagement in the classroom.
“I chose to mentor because my mentors did so much for me,” said Collier. “Without mentors, I would have to learn every lesson on my own, and a school doesn’t run at its best if that’s the case. I want LEAD Southeast to be the best it can be and I’ll only get better at making it better, if I’m also choosing to grow.”
Collier collaborated with her school’s leadership team to ensure her mentee would have a high-quality coaching plan for onboarding into her classroom. By the winter, Collier’s mentee was leading entire lessons successfully, and during the second semester he was able to run the classroom while being live coached by Collier.
“Ms. Collier is a top notch teacher at LEAD Southeast Middle because of her belief in kids’ abilities to be successful, the bar she holds them to, and the meaningful relationships she builds,” said Jonathan Brocco, assistant principal of instruction at LEAD Southeast Middle. “Ms. Collier holds unapologetically high expectations for kids because she knows they are capable young scientists, and she shows them lots of love along the way. What makes her so special is the way that her passion for teaching absolutely shines through in all that she does.”
