MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Va. – Almost everyone has one teacher in their life that they will remember forever, but often we forget to say thank you.
At Shawsville Middle School, they are doing more by showing one teacher how much they appreciate her work on a daily basis.
Anna Drew is the seventh-grade science teacher at Shawsville Middle School.
She has been an educator for nine years and comes from a family full of teachers.
“I’m actually a third-generation teacher,” said Drew. “I teach because I am incredibly passionate about science, and I really want to share that passion with students for posterity.”
In Mrs. Drew’s classroom, her approach is simple.
“They are human beings first, way before they were ever students in my classroom,” Drew said. “Just trying to support them and let them know that they are seen and loved, and cared for in this building is so important, and it makes the teaching part so much easier.”
On Friday, an awards assembly was held in the school’s gym, but nobody knew exactly why.
“I thought there was going to be some kind of cool schoolwide announcement,” Drew said.
Then, it was time for the surprise.
Mrs. Drew is the winner of the Milken Educator Award and a $25,000 prize. She is one of only 42 teachers across the nation to receive this honor.
“The moment I heard my name, I was very much in shock,” Drew said. “It really underlines the value of teachers for the students.”
After being presented the award, Drew made sure to make a quick call back home to let her dad know about everything. That is where it really set in for her.
Mrs. Drew said she does not know exactly what she is going to do with all of this money, but she said this could not be possible without all of the students coming in every day and making her job worth it.
