That was the only part of her name a shocked LaTonya E. Waller remembers hearing at a ceremony announcing she had been chosen 2011 Virginia Teacher of the Year.
“Automatically my hand went over my face and I was like, ‘Oh my goodness, did they just call my name?’ and everybody started clapping,” Waller said. She was selected from a field of eight regional teachers of the year, with Waller representing Region I – Central Virginia. Within minutes of finishing her acceptance speech, Waller received offers from educators in the audience to speak at colleges and universities. “And my phone is still ringing,” she said. Having earned a Master of Teaching degree and Bachelor of Science degree from VCU’s School of Education, Waller began her teaching career in 2001 at Richmond’s Broad Rock Elementary School. In 2005, she moved to Lucille Brown Middle School. Waller received a Post Master’s Certificate in Educational Leadership from VCU in 2006. She sums up the feeling of going from VCU graduate to Virginia’s top teacher with one word: humbling. “There are over 95,000 teachers in the Commonwealth of Virginia, so to represent all those wonderful and dedicated individuals who are in the profession I love is humbling,” Waller said. Waller teaches sixth- and eighth-grade science in the International Baccalaureate Programme at Brown Middle School and is chair of the school’s science department. She coaches the school’s “Mind Games” team and sponsors numerous activities for students.
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16 The Bridge • Spring 2011