Any parent who has raised a teenager knows it’s no easy job — but to teach a classroom full of them every day? High school teachers deserve an award for just showing up to work.

But Karen Kelley, Sevier County Secondary Grades Teacher of the Year, goes beyond the call of duty — and loves every minute of it.

“I love the kids,” said Kelley, who moved to Sevier County when she was 6 years old. “I just click with this age group. I think they teach me things, too. They keep me on my toes, and they’re very creative and inquisitive. They have taught me to be thankful for the little things, to not take family for granted. They don’t all have what I grew up with. They have given me a new perspective on life.”

Kelley knew early on that she wanted to work with children.

“I was leaning towards counseling, but I had lots of teachers who had made a positive impact on me — and teaching is a lot like counseling.”

Having taught for 13 years, she arrived at Pigeon Forge High School when it opened in 1999. She currently teaches U.S. History, along with Bible as an elective course.

She received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Tennessee and her education specialist degree from Lincoln Memorial University. She is now working on her doctorate degree from East Tennessee State University.

“It’s important to teach the curriculum as well as to teach to treat others respectfully, to be honest and to have high expectations.”

Kelley is married to Pigeon Forge Middle School principal Troy Kelley. They have two children — Jonah, 8, and Kyndall, 5. She stays busy taking her kids to sport practices (baseball practice has already started for Jonah), and she serves as PFHS Color Guard sponsor. She also attends First Baptist Church of Sevierville.

“I was very excited,” she said of her Teacher of the Year honor. “I texted my husband right away when I found out! I think our county has some great teachers. My 5-year-old daughter is reading right now and has Ms. (Barbara) Parnell at Pigeon Forge Primary. I don’t deserve this more than other teachers, but I’m honored.”

She’s also right at home at PFHS.

“I really love the people I work with; everyone is very helpful, and it’s very much like a family. There’s no other school that I’d rather teach at. I love my job.”