The Oklahoma House of Representatives on the floor recognized Rachel Keith as the state's 2024 Teacher of the Year, and she used her remarks to urge lawmakers and educators to “raise the Oklahoma teacher voice.” Representative Johns introduced Keith and invited her to address members.

Keith told members she has visited educators across Oklahoma — from elementary through high school and career-tech centers — and described a five-step framework she calls a “voice of excellence”: vision, opportunity, influence, character and a sustained voice of excellence. “Let's continue to raise the Oklahoma teacher voice,” Keith said.

Representative Johns, who introduced Keith, described her as “a leader, a problem solver, an innovator, and currently a dynamic member of the Ada High School faculty,” and referenced his experience working with her when he served as a vice principal at Ada Junior High School.

In her remarks, Keith emphasized curriculum planning and summer professional development as part of a “voice of vision,” and said classroom opportunities and lesson planning turn curriculum into student learning. She noted her roles outside the classroom, including as a pastor's wife and a mother, and said her family includes multiple educators; her husband, Jimmy Keith, also teaches at Ada High School and their four children are educators.

Keith closed by describing examples of student-level gains she sees as signs of progress — a student passing a class after previous struggles and improved parent engagement — and thanked members for their support of Oklahoma educators.

The recognition took place during the House's routine floor presentations; no formal vote accompanied the citation.