Congratulations to high school Social Studies teacher Sara Russell, who has been named Iowa’s 2022 State Teacher of the Year. Photo Credit: Pleasant Valley Community School District

Congratulations to Sara Russell, who has been named the Iowa State Teacher of the Year for 2022.

Sara teaches Advanced Placement Geography and Modern US History to grades 9-12 at Pleasant Valley High School in Bettendorf, Iowa. She has been teaching there since 2005.  Prior to that, she taught at Benton Community High School located in Van Horne, Iowa. In all, her career as an educator has spanned 20 years.

In her classroom, Sara emphasizes the importance of student-centered learning, hands-on instruction, critical thinking skills, and the power of productive struggle. She is passionate about the inclusion and acceptance of all students.

Sara’s commitment to her program is clearly evident. “I believe in the idea that you will never truly understand a concept or idea until you can apply it to your own life or the world around you,” she asserts. “While direct instruction is a necessary component of learning, I structure as much of my class time as possible around student activities that demand students make their own meaning of concepts or ideas, usually in a cooperative environment,” she continued. “With all of the activities, I strive to have students discuss, defend, explain, and apply their learning,” she concluded.

In addition to teaching, Russell serves as a mentor teacher, helps to plan and implement professional development as a member of her school’s Teacher Leadership System (TLS), and advises student groups about equity, inclusion, and civic engagement. Also, Sara has presented at the annual conference for the National Council for Social Studies in 2014. The topic of her presentation was organizing US History classes to be more inclusive.

Sara earned her Bachelor’s degree in History from Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin. She earned her Master’s degree from Eastern Illinois University, with a thesis focusing on multicultural education and social justice.