✕
☰

Crestline teacher among Final 4 for 2016-17 Alabama Teacher of the Year

Sandy Ritchey, a literacy coach at Crestline Elementary School, has been named one of four finalists to become the 2016-17 Alabama Teacher of the Year.

The other finalists are:

The next step to determine the 2016-17 Alabama Teacher of the Year is an extensive interview with a state judging committee. State officials plan to reveal the winner at a ceremony at the RSA Plaza Terrace in Montgomery on May 11.

Ritchey, a resident of Hoover’s Quail Run subdivision, is in her third year at Crestline Elementary. Before that, she spent 11 years with Hoover City Schools, including five years as a teacher at Green Valley Elementary, three years as a literacy coach at South Shades Crest Elementary and three years as an assistant principal at Gwin Elementary.

“I am deeply humbled I was even nominated by the wonderful faculty at Crestline Elementary,” Ritchey said.

Throughout her career in Hoover and Mountain Brook, she has been surrounded by countless people whom she would consider Teachers of the Year — people who wake up every day ready to make a difference in the lives of children, she said.

“I hope the nation realizes we have some incredible teachers in Alabama,” Ritchey said.

Developing relationships with students and other teachers is what motivates her to teach, she said.

“At the core of everything we do are the relationships we establish,” Ritchey said. “It takes a village to do what we do.”

Each student and each teacher has their own story, and she loves hearing them and helping others to succeed, she said.

In a biography she wrote after being nominated for Teacher of the Year, Ritchey said she doesn’t allow obstacles to become barriers to educational success. She has taught in schools with many high-poverty and transient students, and “when I read reports and articles that claim to predict the achievement of a student based solely on demographics, I cannot help thinking that they are wrong,” she wrote in her biography.

She grew up in a home where two languages were spoken, had two working parents, was on a reduced-price lunch program and had to adjust after switching to a new school, she said. “As long as students are coming from challenging situations, I will continue to prove research wrong,” she wrote. “All students can learn. All students can succeed. I am proof of what a great education in Alabama can do for students.”

Ritchey is a frequent presenter and facilitator at education conferences across the state.

“My hope is that as I work with teachers, they will reflect my teaching style when they work with their own students,” Ritchey wrote in an essay. “My hope is that as I work with students, they will understand how capable they are and that there is no limit to their greatness. Our profession calls for compassionate, strong and committed indivduals who are excited about working with children. As long as we keep all that we do student-centered, we will not fail our students.”

Crestline Principal Laurie King said in a recommendation letter that Ritchey is a compassionate and thoughtful teacher. “She demonstrates professionalism, common sense and passion for children in every aspect of her job,” King said. “She has a giving heart and cares deeply for children and staff members.”

This article was updated at 12:06 a.m. on April 29 with additional information from Ritchey.

Back to topbutton