A teacher comfortable at all grade levels and with all educators found her spot as a campus instructional coach at Clear Creek Elementary School.
Cheryl Hatcher is a Killeen ISD STEEL Award winner for the month of February.
Her “dependability, initiative and positive spirit shine and make a lasting impact each day,” said Clear Creek Principal Jessica Brading. “She is a true team player, always ready to step in and support others.”
Growing up in Alabama, Hatcher said she always had great teachers, leading her to know early in life that education was the place for her.
In college, she studied physical therapy, before shifting to her first love of teaching and began her career at the elementary school and then the high school she attended in her hometown.
“I had really great teachers who taught academics but went beyond the book and we learned a lot of life lessons, too. I loved how that made me feel and I wanted to have the same impact on my students.”
As a child, she visited family members in Killeen and always suspected she might live in Texas.
In 2019, she made the move to KISD, first teaching at Maxdale Elementary School, then to Copperas Cove Junior High School and back to Killeen at Clear Creek where she is using much of her past experiences working with students and teachers.
“I like to model how to implement the curriculum so teachers can see it firsthand,” she said. “It allows me to be in the classroom, because I do miss it. I get the best of both worlds.”
“I felt like I could service more students and teachers outside the classroom. That is very great and rewarding for me,” she said.
“I make myself known around the campus. I love when students want to share something personal about themselves. That makes me feel great.”
Killeen ISD awards a STEEL Award to two employees a month. Superintendent King Davis and a group of district and campus leaders surprised Hatcher with the honor.
“It was so unexpected,” she said. “I don’t do anything for recognition. I do this because I love it. I have a heart of service. When that happened, I was very surprised. Even though I don’t do it for recognition, it feels good to know that other people see what I do and appreciate it.”
“I still look at it and can’t believe it. That’s mine.”