For seven years now, outdoor enthusiast Connie Henshaw has been dreaming of the day she would through-hike the Appalachian Trail after graduation from college in 2016.

But she was barely into her freshman year at Virginia Tech when a tragic turn of events upended her plans, and she pulled out of spring semester classes to hit the trail in March – three years early. > Read more.

In Sandra Fontes' classroom, every student is cherished as a unique individual with diverse talents to contribute in the classroom.

"I value and embrace diversity," said Fontes, "and I teach my students to respect and appreciate the fact that we are all different."

Although the tremendous diversity of her English as a Second Language (ESL) classes might seem daunting to observers or to other teachers, Fontes contends that providing a safe and caring learning environment and using instructional strategies that address students' different learning styles and needs are all that's required for every child to learn. > Read more.

As a six-year-old, Valerie Bryant taught lessons to neighborhood children while she was still a child herself. She also created a library on her parents' front porch, complete with check-out cards for children who wanted to borrow books.

There was little doubt that she was headed for a career as an educator.

"I started out really early," she said. Her first professional teaching job came while she was still finishing her undergraduate degree at VCU and a position opened at the New Community School in Richmond. > Read more.

Because Karen Nowicki's parents grew up during the Depression and did not have an opportunity to participate in extracurricular activities, Nowicki was showered with opportunities to take dancing and acting lessons and learn to play the piano and flute.

"I never would have guessed back then how often I would use these skills in my career," she said, describing the ways in which she has incorporated drama into her classroom, played piano to accompany the school chorus, and choreographed dance routines for field days, chorus concerts, and talent shows.

Being able to incorporate her own talents and interests into the classrooms, Nowicki believes, is one of the most interesting aspects of being a teacher. "It allows you to use all of the skills you have developed in your lifetime," she said. "It keeps the fun in teaching." > Read more.

Students at Ratcliffe Elementary School in Eastern Henrico – and even those who have moved on to middle school and beyond – know that they'll always have a friend and mentor in Rita Roberson.

Roberson, a fifth-grade teacher who has spent her entire 20-year teaching career at Ratcliffe, takes pride in both roles.

"I may be their teacher for just a short time, but I'm always going to be there for them," Roberson said.
> Read more.