Early Childhood Special Education teacher Jennifer Kist and Hope High School English Language Arts teacher Jason Rubin have both been named among the recipients of this year’s Emerson Excellence in Teaching Awards. They are among about 100 educators honored by one of the area’s most recognized teacher recognition programs.
Kist, who is in her 28th year teaching with Fort Zumwalt, was named the district’s 2024 Educator of the Year and also was recognized as a semifinalist for the 2025 Missouri Teacher of the Year Award. A typical day in her classroom would have you find students marching together to the beat of their own drum. Kist uses group drumming activities to bring her Pre-K students with special needs to one focus. Along with her students’ families she creates portable safe spaces for each student, just one more way to foster a safe place for her 3- to 5-year-olds to learn to listen, pay attention, take turns, share and take cues from one another. She is nationally recognized for her work and presents professional development for other teachers around the country.
“I don’t really remember a time when I wasn’t a teacher,” Kist says after sharing a story about the wooden school desks she had as a child in her basement. Playing school as a child, she taught her younger sister to read. “Ever since I was a kid myself, I’ve always kind of known what kids need to learn and grow and I’ve always loved finding creative ways to help them do that.”
Rubin was recognized as the Educator of the Year at Hope High School last year. Fort Zumwalt’s alternative high school opened for the 2000-2001 school year and Rubin has been a part of the work to help students reach graduation every day since. He says it's an honor to witness what Hope High has become. He found the profession a little later in life than Kist, but he, too, has a younger sister who played a big part in his journey to the classroom.
“When I started at Mizzou I was a journalism major,” Rubin says. “Then I switched to Business and, well, that was not a good fit.” He chuckles before going on. “So I switched to English. I remember talking with my sister, she was a year behind me and always knew she wanted to be a teacher. I was having a bit of a crisis. I was like, ‘What will I do with an English degree?’” Rubin says the discussion replays clearly in his mind, down to the exact spot on campus where he was standing when his sister asked him directly why he didn’t want to be a teacher. “And I was kind of like, ‘Why haven’t I ever considered that?’” he says. “I was all in from that point on.”
In his 25th year of teaching, it’s not uncommon to find Rubin playing his guitar in his classroom or discussing films with students. It’s these connections that fuel Rubin’s lifelong learning. A former student introduced him to the philosophy of Stoicism and Rubin has passed that learning along to students since. “It teaches practical virtue and incorporates mindfulness and meditation,” he says. “I have used it to help my students learn to deal with stress, anxiety, and depression. I also created a building level Professional Development Day last year with our Mental Health Professional.”
His genuine care, engaging teaching style, and ability to connect with all learners on multiple levels continue to make his classes highly sought-after. His thoughtful feedback on journal entries and active listening make students feel valued and understood.