A former police officer who became a career and technical education instructor, and a tech-savvy math teacher are named the final 2022 Riverside County Teachers of the Year
RIVERSIDE – Students in two southwest Riverside County high school classrooms were surprised today with a virtual drop-in visit from Riverside County Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Edwin Gomez. A host of educators and family members waited online and in-person as Karrie Carlson and Kristan Morales were named as the final two 2022 Riverside County Riverside Teachers of the Year.
“With 430,000 students in 515 schools and 23 school districts, there are thousands of teachers who are faithfully serving our students every day, and these phenomenal teachers deserve the recognition and prestige of being named a Riverside County Teacher of the Year,” said Riverside County Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Edwin Gomez.
The first surprise visit honored Karrie Carlson, a former police officer and current career and technical education teacher from the Riverside County Office of Education who teaches law enforcement at Murrieta Valley High School in the Murrieta Valley Unified School District. After the virtual meeting got underway, Karrie’s husband, children, and mother, entered the classroom with balloons and congratulatory signs.
“I am truly honored because I love my job, and I love my students,” Karrie Carlson said immediately following the virtual surprise announcement in her classroom that prompted family members to rush in and join in the celebration. “It is an amazing honor and I will represent Riverside County proudly at the state level.”
The second surprise visit took place in the classroom of Kristan Morales, a mathematics teacher at Chaparral High School in the Temecula Valley Unified School District. Amidst the backdrop of her 6th period class, and the trophies earned by the students on the schools championship esports team, Kristan thanked her students from her 26 years of teaching as her inspiration.
“Each year, I get to meet 185 new students and it is a new experience every time. In everything I do, I do it with passion and I’m thankful for being recognized for it,” Kristan said. “What a great surprise this is—I wish I could take my mask off because my face hurts from smiling!”
Last week, Nichi Avina (Palm Springs Unified School District) and Kathleen Magana (Corona-Norco Unified School District) were named as the first two 2022 Riverside County Teachers of the Year. All four teachers will represent the county as part of the 2022 California State Teacher of the Year competition later this year.
About Karrie Carlson
After spending more than 12 years as a police officer with the San Diego Police Department, Karrie Carlson gave up her squad car for a classroom. For the last 16 years, Karrie has conveyed her professional experience in law enforcement, crime scene investigation, and criminal procedures to the students at Murrieta Valley High School as a career and technical education teacher employed by the Riverside County Office of Education.
“I am not a traditional teacher, because I don’t have a traditional past. I teach Career Technical Education, and I teach real life,” Karrie said. “I saw and experienced big city problems which allows me to teach young adults about real world experiences using real world skills.”
It is not uncommon to see students in her classroom practicing hands-on techniques of handcuffing and administering DUI field tests. She regularly invites guest speakers from the law enforcement world—including former students—to speak with her current students. Karrie was also instrumental in developing and guiding the Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) club on campus, and regularly incorporates the concepts of mental health and stress-reducing techniques into her classroom.
Karrie graduated from San Diego State University with a bachelor’s degree in recreation administration. She earned her Master’s degree in juvenile justice management from the University of Nevada, Reno. She is a two-time Ironman triathlete, has completed 26 marathons.
About Kristan Morales
As a national presenter at statewide and national conferences in the areas of mathematics and educational technology, Kristan believes that “the strength of the educational village depends on the continued development of educators.” When the pandemic physically closed schools in March 2020, Kristan Morales’ reputation as an educational technology guru led many educators to her virtual doorstep to upgrade their know-how on how best to serve students.
“Teachers started emailing and calling me well after the work day ended and on weekends. I was working full time as a math teacher and as a tech coach for a high school staff of more than 150 teachers, counselors, and aides,” Kristan said. “Teachers needed each other more than ever, and, it’s ironic how being physically apart brought teachers closer together and fostered a school culture of collaboration.”
When she’s not teaching how the concepts of mathematics can help her students make sense of the world around them, Kristan is helping develop the championship-level esports team at Chaparral High School, and integrating social emotional learning activities into her classroom culture.
Kristan earned a bachelor’s degree in quantitative economics and decision science from the University of California, San Diego. She earned her Master’s degree in educational technology from Azusa Pacific University. Kristan has been teaching for 26 years—including 13 years at Chaparral High School.
2022 Riverside County Teachers of the Year
At least one Riverside County teacher has been selected as a California Teacher of the Year in seven of the last eight years:
The Riverside County Teachers of the Year are selected from nearly 20,000 educators in the county. The rigorous application process requires candidates to spend time reflecting on, and carefully defining, their teaching philosophy. The county teachers of the year are selected on the basis of nominations by teachers, principals, and school district administrators throughout the county. Applications are then submitted to the Riverside County Office of Education, where a selection committee reviews the applications on each district candidate and selects semi-finalists. The selection committee then conducts interviews to select the final four candidates before the county superintendent announces the Riverside County Teachers of the Year.