2027 Kentucky Teacher of the Year
Molly Seifert
Molly Seifert, the 2027 Kentucky Teacher of the Year and an English teacher at Beechwood High School (Beechwood Independent), says she focuses on the whole child in her classroom and seeks well-rounded growth with her students.
“I always tell the kids on the first day, I care more about you as a human being than I care about your reading and writing skills,” Seifert said. “I said, ‘Obviously, I’m paid to care about your reading and writing skills and we’ll grow those, but more importantly to me is how are you as a human, feeling and doing and thriving in all aspects.’”
Seifert is in her 21st year as an educator at Beechwood High School, spending time as a high school English teacher in Owen and Campbell counties prior to her employment in Beechwood Independent, one of her hometown districts. She said she always wanted to be a teacher.
“I’m one of those who taught my stuffed animals when I was a little girl, taught them spelling lessons,” she said. “The giraffe was not very good at spelling. The stuffed monkey was excellent; always got an A-plus.”
Seifert’s role at the school goes far beyond her English classrooms, too. She has coached the school’s speech and debate team since she started teaching with the district in 2006, earning several state and national honors along the way and earning an induction into the Kentucky High School Speech League Hall of Fame in 2019. Her students have gone on to win dozens of regional, state and national titles.
“There’s really no other extracurricular opportunity where kids truly get to speak their truth, and I try to do that in my classroom as well as in competitive speech and debate,” Seifert said. “So that, to me, is really important.”
Seifert also serves as the theater director at Beechwood High School. She said with her interest in theater at an early age, helping kids learn how to perform has brought her great joy.
“So, I wanted to continue doing it and bring that great joy to other people,” Seifert said.