TEMPLE, Texas (KXXV) — JoMeka Gray, kindergarten teacher at Kennedy-Powell Elementary School in Temple, has been in education for twelve years.
Her expertise and love for teaching is being recognized by the state, as she is one of six finalists for the 2025 Texas Teacher of the Year Program presented by the Texas Association of School Administrators.
- Gray is one of six overall finalists, and one of three elementary school educators up for this award
- She will be interviewed October 24 by a panel of judges in Round Rock
- The panel will select two state-level winners, Elementary Teacher of the Year and Secondary Teacher of the Year, and designate one to represent Texas in the National Teacher of the Year program.
- The winner will be announced October 25th
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
JoMeka Gray, Lead Kindergarten Teacher at Kennedy-Powell Elementary, knew she wanted to be a kindergarten teacher since she was in kindergarten herself.
“Miss Wiley, I would just want to let her know that she planted a seed in me way back in kindergarten, and now I’m trying to plant a seed with those in my kindergarten class now,” Gray said.
Her twelve years in education are now paying off.
She's one of six finalists for the 2025 Texas Association of School Administrator’s Teacher of the Year.
“It’s not myself that I’m not personally proud of, but I’m so proud of my students, I’m proud of my parents, my colleagues, everyone that’s in the education community," Gray said.
"We all made this a joint effort to get this nomination."
Out of those six nominees, she’s one of three elementary school teachers — highlighting the importance of development at this young age.
“Not only do I academically grow students, but I also want to make sure they achieve their own personal goals that they achieve whether it is them learning how to do a certain math problem, learning how to read, and even if it’s building self confidence, that’s the biggest thing I have in kindergarten,” Gray said.
Getting her students prepared for what’s to come in their educational careers — especially with emerging technology.
“We have projectors, we have all kinds of apps to help our kids communicate," Gray said.
"I’ve had it to where some kids are reading with dyslexia, but being able to have AI and different types of readers, it really helps them be successful."
No matter who takes home the top prize, Gray is grateful to be in the position she’s in today, advocating for public education.
“It is our community, it is our population, it is the majority of the students that are here in Texas,” Gray said.
