Mr. Kelty, who has been teaching for 7 years, is currently pursuing his Doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction at Northern Arizona University. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy with a minor in Zoology from Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, and his Masters in Elementary Education from the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. He taught 1 st Grade on the Navajo Nation in Crownpoint, New Mexico with Teach for America before becoming a teacher in Flagstaff.

• “When teachers view curriculum critically, make it relevant, and make it real, classrooms become revolutionary. It is a teacher’s duty to ensure curriculum meets the needs of students, advances them academically, and empowers them as thinkers. As such, curriculum needs to be problem-based, engaging, and critical. Teachers must include the realities of students’ lives and show students we are not just products of history, but players who can change history for the better. Empowering students and their culture is vital to this process. Cultural relevancy is not only empowering to students, it also recognizes students for who they are and pushes them to think and engage with their realities.”

• “Contributing to the teaching profession has been my personal goal since entering the doors of my first classroom. As I crave to be a catalyst for positive change, I aim to strengthen our profession daily. My classroom is academically rigorous, and regardless of circumstances and challenges, I smile optimistically and never lose sight of my ultimate aim. I have hope for my students, their potential, and their abilities to become change agents.”

• “(S)ocial mobility should be on the lips of all teachers, as we hold the keys to our students’ success. It is our job to give them access to this mobility. This duty emboldens us to take chances, to look our students in the eyes, to see where they are coming from, and to see where they want to go. This duty emboldens us to be change agents for our students and take our classrooms beyond test preparation facilities.”

• A parent of one of Mr. Kelty’s students writes, “He has an innate ability to spot the child at risk or most apt to get lost in the system. It is as if he instinctively knows which child needs more care or advocacy. I have found most people need a circumstance or event to remind them of how precious something is. Mr. Kelty walks into his classroom and his students are his reminder. He has now become a reminder to me. When I witness his passion and devotion to his profession, I am so grateful my child can call him teacher. I feel fortunate that my child will have the opportunity to glean some of his character, perhaps emulate his desire to help other people and walk in the direction of his moral compass.”