Elementary school teacher Dana Andrews has been named the 2023 Outstanding Teacher of the Year by the Illinois state PTA. Photo credit: The Edwardsville Intelligencer

Congratulations are due to Dana Andrews, an exceptional elementary school teacher who has been named the 2023 Outstanding Teacher of the Year by the Illinois State Parent Teachers Association (PTA).

Dana teaches at Twin Echo Elementary School in Collinsville, Illinois. There she designs curriculum to meet the individual needs of each one of her young students. She uses frequent assessments to help her design instruction that is engaging and promotes individual growth. And the benefits of her strategies are evident to all. Her test scores rank among the highest in her district.

In her practice, Dana places a huge emphasis on relationships. “Her love for her students is evident in her everyday interactions, observes Dr. Julie Haake, Principal of Twin echo Elementary. “She is always cheerful, positive and sharing hugs when walking down the hallway. Her kind nature and warm personality have students gravitating towards her when they see her,” Dr. Haake continues.

To help foster communication between the school and the home, she establishes a folder for each student enrolled in her class. Every day she adds questions, comments, or notes of praise in the student logs, and then she sends the logs home. Each parent is encouraged to add their own questions or comments and then return the folder the next morning. In addition to the daily comments, Dana includes a weekly schedule with the current week’s list of events, plans, and important reminders.

In addition to the communication log, Dana makes daily posts on the classroom website. These posts include pictures of the class activities, updates on the students, and they are currently learning as a class. Furthermore, each week Dana messages parents individually to keep them updated.

Amazing work, Dana!