May is Teacher Appreciation Month, and rightly so. Every teacher has spent the last ten months working diligently to ensure that every student receives a world-class education. EMS ISD is proud to have some of the absolute best educators in Texas.

 

Two EMS ISD teachers recently gained the National Board Certification. For Janet Harrison and Cynthia Neumann, this means earning the most respected professional certification available in education.

 

Harrison has been teaching for 18 years, the last six in EMS ISD at Boswell High School, where she teaches English I and is the Department Lead. She began her National Board Certification journey following the 2021 school year and submitted her final component in May 2022. This past December, she received her National Board Certification in Adolescent/Young Adult English/Language Arts.

 

“The process of becoming certified was probably the most difficult challenge I have ever faced, primarily because it includes truly reflecting on every decision and justifying each decision using data,” said Harrison. “It helped me refine every practice and become a more reflective practitioner. Additionally, it led me to examine the ways I differentiate for students, involve community members and build authentic relationships with students to ensure success for every student.”

 

Neumann taught middle school science for 10 years in Arkansas before moving to Texas in August of 2020. This National Board Certified Teacher (NBCT) now calls Prairie Vista Middle School home.

 

“As a NBCT candidate, you must examine your teaching practice in an in-depth manner from all angles. The process is daunting, but once you have achieved NBCT status, the professional habits stay with you as you plan, teach, reflect, collaborate, mentor and then plan again,” Neumann said.

  

Another way that EMS ISD educators go above and beyond to ensure student success is by becoming AP Readers. Advanced Placement^® (AP) Readers evaluate and score AP students' free responses, ensuring that high school students receive AP grades that accurately reflect college-level achievement in a specified discipline.

 

“When we have teachers who are designated AP Readers, it allows them to better assess their students’ work, which ultimately means more students will be successful on their AP tests,” said Dr. Linda Parker, EMS ISD Deputy Superintendent.

 

The following EMS ISD educators serve as AP Readers:

Kelly Glos (Admin)

Ronny Armstrong (BHS)

Casey Gause (BHS)

Katie Harnish (BHS)

Kylene Nash (BHS)

Jennifer Kuykendall-Smith (BHS)

 Robbyn Camp (CTHS)

Marjorie Ehrman (CTHS)

Jonah Hanft (CTHS)

Amy Stiles (CTHS)

Dr. David Sutton (CTHS)
Fabiola Valdez (CTHS)

Denise Bennett (SHS)

Peter Branca (SHS)

Michael Farmer (SHS)

Andrew Fletcher (SHS)

Victoria Knaupp (SHS)

Heather McFarlan (SHS)

William Norlem (SHS)

Courtney Parker (SHS)

Jamie Parker (SHS)

 

We are #EMSproud of these world class educators instructing the students of EMS ISD.