Henrico's Top Teachers – Heather Williford, Ridge and Seven Pines elementary schools, exceptional education

Although she loved teaching fifth grade for years at Ridge Elementary School in Henrico’s Near West End, Heather Williford often lamented one aspect of the job: by the time she got to know her students, they were off to middle school.

“I didn’t really know many students in the school, because I didn’t get to know them until they got to me,” she said.

A shift in job responsibilities two years ago has changed that. Now, Williford serves as the talented and gifted resource teacher for Ridge and Seven Pines elementaries, a role that allows her to work with 40 students at each school in various grade levels.

“I’m in breakfast duty, in other classrooms, in the hallways more, I pull students from each grade level, and I know so many more students,” she said. “That’s a blessing.”

In her role, Williford works with small groups of no more than eight students at a time for 40 minutes a week. She helps them focus on creativity, critical-thinking and self-awareness, among other topics.

"We are really also trying to dig deep with the perseverance, the grit, the willingness to dig in, the willingness to be uncomfortable and think and not have an answer come to us right away — and be ok with that,” she said of her mission with the students.

Working with gifted students sometimes can be a delicate balancing act, Williford said, between ensuring they’re not overly critical of themselves and also keeping them humble.

“I really love having those conversations with them in small groups,” she said.

Williford also understands how some students may need individualized attention to learn; she herself has ADHD and shares that with students at times.

“Yes, you can be gifted,” she said, “but it still can be a struggle sometimes, you have to have strategies to help.”

Her personal experiences and those as a parent of two daughters (one in college, another who has graduated) come in handy in the classroom. The mother of one of Williford’s former students wrote in a nomination letter that Williford’s intuition helped the parents discover their son’s learning disability.

“This allowed us to re-adjust his learning and create a more positive learning environment for him,” the mother wrote. “Instead of brushing off our concerns, she dug deeper into what was happening and helped us find resources that we truly needed. Her kindness and dedication to serving students and meeting them on their level will never be forgotten by us.

“She was a true partner and advocate for our son during a challenging time of his educational career and she made a huge, positive impact for him that has lasted well beyond his time with her.”

Williford began her teaching career in 1997 after graduating from the University of Tennessee. She traces her inspiration to become a teacher to a high school friend who talked her into teaching Spanish together to elementary school students as part of their senior project for an honors-level Spanish course.

“I did that and I loved it,” she said.

Nearly 30 years later, she’s still in love with the work.

“The biggest thing with teaching is that I always wanted and still want my students to feel safe at school and in class,” she said, “safe not only physically but safe to be themselves and safe to share what is on their mind. I think that’s so important for students to feel that way in school.”