Over the past 14 years, teacher Emily Klein has become a familiar face in the Bayless High School social studies department. Now, she has been named a Missouri Regional Teacher of the Year: one of 35 across the state.

“I was surprised and really honored,” Klein said. “There’s a lot of really great teachers in the state and certainly in the St. Louis region, so to be picked as one of them — I’m really grateful to be honored with that distinction.”

This isn’t just an achievement for Klein, but also for the Bayless School District. It marks the fourth consecutive year that a teacher from Bayless has been named a Missouri Regional Teacher of the Year.

“I felt a little bit of pressure,” Klein said. “As I was working on my application, I was like, ‘Oh, I hope this is good enough! I definitely don’t want to break the chain!’ But I’ve said I work with the best people, and I do. It’s awesome that our District Teacher of the Year has continuously been named a Missouri Regional Teacher of the Year. It just goes to show how great my colleagues are and the people who work at Bayless are.”

When Klein began working at Bayless, she taught American Government, American History and Personal Finance courses. Now, she serves as a “jack of all trades” with an abundance of courses under her belt — both core classes and electives. She is also the curriculum chair for the school’s social studies department. 

“It’s very busy,” Klein said. “There’s a lot of moving pieces and a lot to keep track of when you have that many classes, but I enjoy it because it’s always something different.”

Klein added, “I went from teaching primarily one class and focusing on one thing at a time to really broadening my perspective: teaching more classes and being a curriculum chair, trying to expand my impact. Instead of just teaching one general education graduation requirement class, how can I have a bigger impact on the social studies education that our students are getting?”

Klein found out in early July that she’d received the Regional Teacher of the Year award. She was picking up her child from soccer camp and missed the call announcing her win, so it wasn’t until her principal called that she heard the good news.

“I wouldn’t be a teacher if I didn’t have and love my students,” Klein said. “We are really blessed at Bayless to have a really great community. Our students are top-notch, and I love working with them. Our parents and our community are incredibly supportive of our school. Our administration — building and central office level — are very supportive of teachers, and I’ve always felt respected as an educator and as a teammate. It makes it easy for me to come to work, to keep teaching, to keep doing my best.”