TENNERTON, W.Va. (WBOY) – The West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) and the West Virginia Board of Education (WVBE) announced Upshur County’s Erin Anderson as this year’s West Virginia Teacher of the Year during a virtual program Tuesday, September 29, 2020.
Anderson teaches fifth grade at Tennerton Elementary School in Upshur County. A 20-year veteran educator, Anderson received her B.A. in Elementary Education from West Virginia Wesleyan College and an M.A. in Reading from West Virginia University.
Anderson is a strong believer in the importance of building relationships with her students inside and out of the classroom. In 2019, she started Move It Mondays, a mileage club that invites students of all abilities to run together – rain or shine – after school. Anderson believes this practice not only strengthens relationships but also builds a lifelong love of healthy habits.
West Virginia Superintendent of Schools W. Clayton Burch and WVBE President Miller Hall made the announcement as part of the recognition.
“Mrs. Anderson is an education veteran who has not lost her zeal and passion for teaching our children,” said Superintendent Burch. “She is a classroom innovator and practitioner who understands how to connect with students both inside and outside of the classroom. Ms. Anderson represents the best that our profession has to offer, and we are grateful to her continued dedication to our students.”
Teacher of the year finalists included Michael Knepper, Musselman High School, Berkeley County; Jessica Markwood, Moorefield High School, Hardy County; Meghan Salter, Martha Elementary School, Cabell County; and Lisa Smith, Blennerhassett Elementary School, Wood County.
The West Virginia Teacher of the Year program identifies, recognizes, and promotes representatives of excellent teaching in the elementary and secondary classrooms of the state. As West Virginia’s 2020-21 Teacher of the Year, Anderson will receive a car for use for Teacher of the Year engagements throughout the year from Toyota; $5,000 from both Highmark West Virginia and The Horace Mann Insurance Company. Each county winner receives a $300 grant for their classrooms from the West Virginia Lottery; and a West Virginia-themed piece of art glass from Blenko Glass.
West Virginia’s Teacher of the Year program is one of the oldest and most consistent Teachers of the Year programs in the nation. Anderson will be considered for Teacher of the Year at the national level later this year.
Superintendent Burch will present Mrs. Anderson with several awards and a banner at Tennerton Elementary School on Wednesday, September 30, 2020, at 1:00 p.m.
