Meet Our District Teacher of the Year

Laura VanHorn is a second grade teacher at Bluffton Elementary in Beaufort
County. She is a two-time graduate of West Virginia University with a BS in Elementary
Education (1988) and an MA in Education Administration (1992).

Mrs. VanHorn knew she wanted to become a teacher early in her college career
stemming from her love for children and passion for learning. This passion was instilled
in her by her parents, who simply didn’t believe in being bored. Books were the center
of her home and weekend walks in the woods were spent learning the names of birds
and trees. Those experiences are the center of who she is as a teacher today, focused
on engaging her students and igniting their natural curiosity.

VanHorn feels that her greatest contribution to education has been leaving
students with a passion for learning. She was instrumental in starting an extensive
garden based learning program at her former school and has received several grants to
expand gardening at her current school.

In addition, she counts her work with teacher education candidates as a source
of pride. She has taught at the college level, served as a teacher education coordinator,
and hosted numerous student teachers over the years. Seeing her passion for teaching
exemplified in the classrooms of students she formerly taught is extremely rewarding to
her.

Her greatest personal achievement in education is achieving and subsequently
renewing her National Board Certification. Being a Board certified teacher has led her to
become more of a teacher leader and an advocate for change.