Updates/News
Building Momentum: A Powerful Recruiting Weekend with Teach Kentucky
- March 3, 2025
- Posted by: Kristen Garner
- Category: Life in Louisville Teacher Recruitment TKY Events
Building Momentum: A Powerful Recruiting Weekend with Teach Kentucky
March is here, and with it comes the excitement of being over halfway through our recruiting season at Teach Kentucky! We’re still buzzing from an incredible recruiting weekend, held February 22nd-24th, where we had the joy of welcoming 14 amazing teacher candidates to Louisville. They traveled from all over—Louisiana, Indiana, Michigan, Utah, Ohio, New York, Georgia, and, of course, right here in Kentucky! It was a whirlwind of energy, exploration, and inspiration as they got to experience our vibrant city, connect with our community, and envision what it would be like to make a difference in Louisville’s classrooms.
Our weekend itinerary included city tours, informational sessions, interviews, and school visits, all designed to provide our candidates with a comprehensive view of teaching in Louisville. While each event played a crucial role in shaping the experience, the highlight of the weekend was, without a doubt, our Sunday Night Community Reception at Monnik Beer Company.
The Community Reception is always a special event, bringing together community members, veteran teachers, principals, and other supporters to welcome our candidates to Louisville. This year, we were fortunate to have Jeremy Koonce of Front Runner Real Estate as a sponsor and attendee—thank you, Jeremy, for your generous support!
We also had the pleasure of hearing from two inspiring Teach Kentucky alumni: Andrew Howard (TKY cohort 2018) from Shawnee High School and Alex Mattingly (TKY cohort 2021) from Greathouse/Shryock Elementary. Their words of wisdom and experience resonated with all in attendance. Andrew shared a powerful message about the importance of community in teaching, emphasizing that to be a great teacher, you need a network of people who have walked the path before you. He captured the essence of Teach Kentucky—a supportive network that ensures each teacher’s success. He also reminded us that to be a great teacher, you must first be a great learner.
After 24 years of recruiting and supporting new teachers, it’s rare for us to experience a true first—but this February, we did. Leyla Hajimehdl Tajer joined us from New York with an enthusiasm that was unmatched. She was so eager to begin her journey with Teach Kentucky that she relocated to Louisville within just three weeks! For the first time ever, we had a “one-week veteran teacher” in attendance at our community reception. Leyla’s story is a testament to the trust and faith that aspiring teachers place in Teach Kentucky to help them transform their lives and launch meaningful careers in education.
With two more recruiting weekends ahead, we are thrilled with the momentum we’re building for our 2025 cohort. So far, we have already confirmed 19 members for the cohort. We are incredibly excited about the future and cannot wait to see the impact these dedicated educators will have on Louisville classrooms.
Thank you to everyone who made this recruiting weekend a success—our candidates, alumni, community partners, and supporters. Your commitment to education and to Teach Kentucky’s mission is what makes this work so rewarding.
Here’s to another fantastic recruiting season and to the future educators who will shape the next generation!