Lynne Norris, Center for Information Technology (CIT) teacher and director, is the recipient of this year’s Teacher of the Year award. Norris has been teaching for 15 years, but previously worked in the corporate setting, which helped develop her approach as a teacher. 

   “There were a lot of things that I felt like [the people I hired] were missing from high school experiences that would have prepared them for success in the future,” Norris said. “I knew that I could provide that experience for students, so that was really important for me to provide those opportunities.”

   During her time as a teacher, Norris has made it her goal to provide students with as many of those experiences and opportunities as possible.

   “Whenever someone asks me if we can do something, I always say yes as much as possible, so feeling like I can’t always do everything I want to do for students is hard,” Norris said. “I do a lot, but I wish I could do even more.”

   Students have felt the impact of Norris’ efforts in many ways.

   “She’s always ready for everything, and even if it looks like she has a lot going on, she always makes room for her students and never backs down from an opportunity to help. It’s something that I found to value so deeply about her,” junior Zaara Ahmed said.

   Norris recognizes that while each year offers new challenges to teachers, the past two years have been different in education, and she strives to adapt to these ever-changing conditions.

   “Reflection is big. I am always reflecting on ways to improve lessons and projects to make it even better for next time,” Norris said.

  Even amongst difficult times, positive moments with students are what keep Norris going.

   “Seeing my students implement these huge projects, seeing them in their element and just flourishing in what they do, makes it all worth it,” Norris said.

Norris will now be able to compete at the district level for the Henrico County Teacher of the Year award. The winner of that award has the ability to go on to compete at the state and even national level.