From Tears to Triumphs: A New Master Teacher Reflects on Her Journey
At LEAD Public Schools, our Master Teachers have the opportunity to earn a higher salary and have more influence in their schools and across the entire organization – all while staying in the classroom.
Kennedy Maestri was just named a new Master Teacher this school year, and she could not have predicted this would be her path back in 2019 when she stepped into her first classroom role in rural Mississippi.
“I cried before my first practice lesson about semicolons, and my principal told me I would never be able to manage a classroom,” she said.
Although teaching runs in the family for Maestri, (her two older sisters are teachers) she was initially dissuaded from pursuing education. “Honestly, it seemed like a really taxing job and I wanted to do something different than my siblings,” she said.
During college, however, she traveled to Hong Kong to teach conversational English to middle school students, and that was the first time she seriously considered teaching. She went back for three consecutive summers, and the desire to be in a classroom grew deeper with each experience.
When she was accepted to the Mississippi Teacher Corps, she began teaching English language arts (ELA) in a rural high school – and ended up meeting her future husband. Fast forward to 2021, they moved to Nashville and were both hired as teachers at LEAD Public Schools.
“[LEAD] immediately felt different from the school I started at, for a multitude of reasons,” said Maestri. “I remember being so excited about the ELA curriculum materials that first year at LEAD. My first two years [teaching in Mississippi], I created all of my own resources for two different classes and worked 10-14 hours a day just to be prepared for the following school day. [At LEAD], having an intentionally selected curriculum with engaging novels felt like a lifesaver.”
In addition to high-quality curriculum, mentorship has played a huge role in Maestri’s growth as an educator, which is why her move into the Master Teacher position feels even more meaningful.
“I have been fortunate to have Francie Brooks (previous ELA teacher, instructional manager, assistant principal of instruction at LEAD Neely’s Bend, and now director of literacy for LEAD) as a mentor over the last three years,” she said. “She has done everything from giving me pep talks on bad days, to modeling lessons for me in my classroom, to watching videos I send her to get feedback. She’s mediated conversations with students, she’s helped me connect better with parents, and she’s pushed me to have high academic expectations for students every day. The biggest thing Francie has provided for me over the last three years is support. On the days when I needed a cheerleader, she was always there, and I knew I could (and still can!) count on her.”
The support she received from her mentor at LEAD led Maestri to a new title: Master Teacher at LEAD Academy. Master Teachers are expected to complete an annual project linked to student outcomes, and Maestri is excited to focus her energy on the newly adopted high school ELA curriculum.
“Personally, I feel like in the last year or so I’ve really found my place in the classroom and figured out what brings me joy while teaching, while still pushing students academically,” she said. “My goal is to continue to discover joy in the classroom that coincides with student success.”
“I’m very grateful to work at LEAD for many reasons – having content-experts in the building, being able to call student support coordinators to assist with behaviors, knowing I’ll get feedback from leaders at my school on my teaching (and help in implementing it!), and seeing and feeling the joyful culture in the hallways. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to continue teaching when I started at LEAD in 2021, and now there’s nothing else I’d rather be doing!”
Her advice to new teachers who find themselves in a similar place she was in back in 2019 before her first lesson is: “Find a mentor – someone who can be your cheerleader on the hard days AND a celebrant with you on breakthrough days! Both are needed.”
At LEAD Public Schools, we place an intentional emphasis on high-quality coaching, providing each teacher with someone to go to for guidance, beginning on their very first day. This structure ensures that each of our educators are growing professionally and are able to reach their own personal career goals – like becoming a Master Teacher.
“One of the biggest ways I feel like I’m a better educator now is being more relationship-driven in my teaching. That was always something I knew would be beneficial, but I didn’t have the skillset to have many meaningful relationships with students in my first few years teaching. I attribute learning those skills to the restorative practices that are vital to the LEAD values. Engaging with students and colleagues as human-first, learning to apologize when I’ve messed up (even to a room full of 30 8th graders!), making small connections with students every day, finding moments to laugh together in classes, and assuming positive intent have been so important in my teaching journey during my last three years at LEAD.”
As a Master Teacher, Maestri will provide input on network academic initiatives and serve as a model classroom for observations and as an ambassador for recruiting. Check out the full list of this year’s Master Teachers here.
Apply to join our expanding team of passionate educators here.
