With 38 years of experience, current instructional coach and longtime teacher Jackie Kissler is the longest serving female educator in the Kent School District. A product of the Kent School District (KSD), Jackie started as a second-grade student in KSD and is a graduate of Kentridge High School. From very early on, she always knew she wanted to be a teacher. “I wanted a career working with people, and I’ve always been told I was very good with kids, so education was a natural avenue for me,” Jackie said. After graduating from Western Washington University with a teaching degree, and starting her career as a substitute teacher, Jackie has spent nearly her entire career at Neely-O’Brien Elementary, mainly teaching fourth-sixth grades.
For Jackie, teaching starts with a fundamental belief in her students. “I believe that all kids can learn. A lot of it has to do with presenting things in a way that instills in them the confidence that they can do it—through perseverance and putting their best effort forth they will be able to do the task at hand.” The art of teaching is encouragement in ways that engage students fully in the subject. Convincing students that one step leads to the next—that letter sounds lead to words lead to reading—is a key component of Jackie’s teaching philosophy. "There's nothing quite as rewarding as working with a group of kids and seeing growth," Jackie commented. "Seeing kids become more confident in learning and themselves brings me joy."
Though teaching and education have changed dramatically over Jackie’s career, she is grateful to have spent it in the Kent School District. “I’ve worked with some really fantastic teachers and people,” Jackie said. She is grateful for the many professional development opportunities she received over the years and believes that KSD was “at the forefront” of giving teachers access to professional development and helping them grow. As her career progressed, Jackie has also led professional development opportunities for teachers at Neely-O’Brien, helping others with their elementary literacy curriculum, differentiation, as well as individual coaching. “We know more now about what good teaching looks like,” Jackie said. “We are much better at evaluating the needs of students and building ways to address those needs into all of our lessons.”
This year will be Jackie’s final year teaching at Neely-O’Brien. After a long and productive career of touching many students’ lives, she is ready to spend more time with her family and open the next chapter for her. As Women’s History Month comes to a close, we honor educators like Jackie who have made such an impact on our students’ lives and the greater KSD community.