Kim Estes

If anyone was to be awarded Teacher of the Year as a newbie to the campus and district, it’s gotta be Kim. Even as she was learning the Cleburne ropes, she was taking other newbies under her wing and insisting that we all learn together. That’s what good teachers do. Kim sees everyone as a potential student, no matter who they are. I was lucky enough to be her next-door classroom neighbor last year and definitely ended up in her room on more than one occasion needing help. I was always met with patience and care. I am so grateful that I was by her side during our introduction to CISD. I definitely couldn’t have survived last year without her. She wholeheartedly devotes herself to students; it’s not unusual to find Kim in her classroom before school, listening attentively to one of her students vent or helping another with classwork. In fact, anyone who needs help — student, colleague, administrator, parent — will be taken under Kim’s wing. Her empathy and compassion seem endless.