A Pleasant Valley Community School District teacher is the Iowa Department of Education’s 2022 Teacher of the year, Gov. Kim Reynolds announced Friday.Sara Russell, who teaches social studies at Pleasant Valley High School, was honored at a school assembly Friday. Pleasant Valley High School is located in the eastern Iowa city of Riverdale, near Bettendorf.According to a news release from the Iowa Department of Education, 43-year-old Russell "leads student-centered, hands-on learning."She a...
A Pleasant Valley Community School District teacher is the Iowa Department of Education’s 2022 Teacher of the year, Gov. Kim Reynolds announced Friday.
Sara Russell, who teaches social studies at Pleasant Valley High School, was honored at a school assembly Friday. Pleasant Valley High School is located in the eastern Iowa city of Riverdale, near Bettendorf.
According to a news release from the Iowa Department of Education, 43-year-old Russell "leads student-centered, hands-on learning."
She and her husband Ian live in Bettendorf with their 13-year-old twin sons, Gavin and Aiden, the release said.
“I believe in the idea that you will never truly understand a concept or idea until you can apply it to your own life or the world around you,” Russell said in the release. “While direct instruction is a necessary component of learning, I structure as much of my class time as possible around student activities that demand students to make their own meaning of concepts or ideas, usually in a cooperative environment. With all of the activities, I strive to have students discuss, defend, explain and apply their learning.”
Reynolds said she is proud of the impact Russell's work has had on students in her 19 years as a teacher.
"Outstanding educators like Sara ensure our students are well prepared for careers and education beyond high school," Reynolds said in the release. "Every day, she brings a positive and engaging approach to her students while helping them develop critical-thinking and team-building skills, which they'll take with them far beyond the classroom throughout their lives."
Ann Lebo, director of the Iowa Department of Education, said the Teacher of the Year award "honors outstanding teachers who have made an impact on their students and colleagues."
"Sara is a teacher leader, mentor to first-year teachers and an advocate of collaborative learning environments," Lebo said in the release. "Her leadership and passion will help Iowa’s education system grow and expand opportunities for students."
Established in 1958, the Iowa Teacher of the Year Award is sponsored by the Iowa Department of Education through an appropriation from the Iowa Legislature. Honorees serve as education ambassadors and act as liaisons to schools across Iowa, the release said.
Finalists for the 2022 Iowa Teacher of the Year:
Previous five Iowa Teacher of the Year winners:
Isabella Rosario is a public safety reporter for the Ames Tribune. She can be reached by email at [email protected] or on Twitter at @irosarioc.