Key Elementary Educator Wins 'Teacher of the Year' Award

Erica Russell, of Key Elementary School, has been named “Teacher of the Year” by the Arlington Public Schools system. 

“I feel humbled because there are a lot of amazing teachers are at Key,” Russell said. “The kids loved it.”

School Superintendent Pat Murphy presented the award to Russell earlier this month.

“Throughout her career, Erica has developed a strong bond with her students. It is this bond, her high expectations and commitment that makes Erica so deserving of this honor,” Murphy said during the ceremony, according to a press release from the school system.

It’s Russell’s seventh year at Key, where she teaches English and social studies to fourth-grade students. She comes from a family of educators, so it was natural for her to enter teaching, she said.

“I enjoy having a job where I don’t sit down very often,” Russell said. “It’s very interactive.”

A native of Michigan, she earned her elementary education degree from Andrews University. After school, she participated in as a volunteer with REACH International in Honduras where she assisted in founding and managing a day care facility for 30 children, according to APS.

She went back to Michigan and taught before seeking a job in Arlington.

“I came from Michigan for this program because it’s the best in the nation,” Russell said.

Key Elementary is one of Arlington’s English/Spanish-language immersion schools, which means that students spend half their day in classes where Spanish is the primary language, and half the day speaking primarily English. By the end of elementary school, the goal is for all students to be bilingual.

“In my class I have all levels of students representing a ton of different cultures,” Russell said.

Russell said that she uses a lot of media to keep the kids focused during class, along with encouraging students to work in small groups.

“I move around the room a lot,” Russell said.

As teacher of the year, Russell will be Arlington’s nominee for the 2013 Virginia Teacher of the Year, and is one of 21 metropolitan D.C. area teachers who will be honored on May 14 at The Washington Post as part of the annual Agnes Meyer Outstanding Teacher Awards, according to the APS press release.

“What has kept me at Key is the school family,” Russell said. “The staff, the kids and their families are really supportive.”