2020-2021 Teacher of the Year

Rachel Gladden

Every year my goal with each of my students is to know them well and love them well so that I can then teach them well. I do my best to invest time in getting to know each of my students personally- their interests, their family and friends, their likes and dislikes, their strengths and struggles- to let them know that I care about not just what they do academically, but about them as a person. These relationships are the reason I do what I do. I truly believe that every student has the ability to be successful, and they often just need someone who won’t give up on them and who is willing to put in the effort to give them any extra support they may need to get there. One of the best parts of my job is seeing my students leave our classroom knowing that they are deeply cared for and knowing that they can be successful at anything they put their minds to. I am so honored to have been named teacher of the year at Woodruff Primary School! I am incredibly thankful for the sweet students I get the opportunity to teach and the amazing faculty and staff I get to work alongside each day.

Rachel Gladden