Kaylee Land—MHS Class of 2011
MHS Ready, Set, Teach Program Coordinator
Years in Education: 10
McKinney, Texas — Ten years ago, with college degree in hand, MHS alumna Kaylee Land returned to her McKinney roots to serve as a kindergarten teacher at Caldwell Elementary. She spent 7 years there, teaching in the monolingual and Dual Language programs and in 2022 was chosen as Caldwell's Campus Teacher of the Year.
She went on to join the kindergarten team at Minshew, but this year, Kaylee has moved to the other end of the academic spectrum as the Ready, Set, Teach (RST) program coordinator at McKinney High School—the same program that helped launch her own teaching career. Now, she is helping to launch the next generation of educators.
Kaylee Land (center) with the 2024–2025 McKinney High School Ready, Set, Teach class on September 10, the day they began their field practice
Ready, Set, Teach is a field-based internship offered at McKinney Boyd High School, McKinney High School and McKinney North High School that gives future educators a foundational understanding of child and adolescent development principles as well as principles of effective teaching practices in MISD classrooms. Students who successfully complete the RST program are guaranteed a job interview when they apply with MISD after they graduate college and earn their certification.
On Tuesday, Sept. 10, Land's RST students officially began their field placements for 2024–2025 where they will work alongside mentor teachers throughout the school year. Four days a week, RST students are part of an MISD classroom for a little over an hour each day, assisting with tasks such as classroom management, pulling small groups and leading whole-group instructional lessons.
"This year, we’re proud to partner with the MHS Preschool, Caldwell Elementary and Faubion Middle School," Land said. "Personally, I feel a special connection to this program, as I participated in Ready, Set, Teach myself in 2010 and 2011, and I'm thrilled to return to McKinney High to lead the very program that inspired me to become a teacher."