Amarillo ISD Teacher Named Regional Teacher of the Year

Posted Date: 07/31/2024

July 31, 2024 – Kristi Leff, Amarillo ISD’s Elementary Teacher of the Year and a Master Teacher in the State of Texas, has been named Region 16 Elementary Teacher of the Year and will move forward in the selection process for Texas Teacher of the Year.

Leff teaches fifth-grade ELAR and science at Humphrey’s Highland Elementary. In May, she was named AISD’s Elementary Teacher of the Year. Leff has taught for 21 years and is known for her captivating lessons. 

“I walk into my classroom every day, not as a teacher where my job is to fill my students with the content, but as an educational guide who facilitates their acquisition of self-confidence, self-worth, and an independent fire to be the very best version of themselves, long after they leave the education system,” says Leff.

Each fall, 40 teachers are selected as regional teachers of the year in Texas. Over the next few months, Leff will represent Region 16 in the competition for Texas Teacher of the Year, which will be announced in October.