Missy Testerman
2024 has been a whirlwind year for Missy Testerman. Just days before the Educators Hall of Honor induction ceremony, Testerman learned of her selection as the 2024 National Teacher of Year.
Missy has been teaching for 31 years and is admired as a leader, mentor, and fierce advocate for both teachers and students.
She serves as president of the Rogersville Education Association, is a member of Rogersville City Schools Teacher Leadership team, mentors new teachers, and participates in the Readers are Leaders Program. Additionally, she is the Summer Camps Coordinator for Rogersville City Schools and serves on multiple boards and committees in the school and the community.
Missy taught 1st and 2nd grade at Rogersville City School, located in rural Appalachia, for three decades before transitioning to lead the English as a Second Language program for the district.
Ms. Testerman has infused a celebration of diversity within the elementary curriculum. She established the Second Grade American History Wax Museum which still serves as annual lesson, challenging students to research a famous American and prepare a one-minute speech and presentation. She instituted a “boot camp” at the beginning of the school year to help students think critically about problems on standardized tests so they can feel confident about the expectations.
Persisting in her advocacy, Missy organized and led a local teachers union to demand changes to school conditions, such as a lack of hot water in the building.
“No one knows the struggles that America’s families face more than we do because we see them, and we watch as our students struggle to survive them,” she wrote. “It is time that teachers begin to articulate the problems that we witness.”
You can watch Missy Testerman’s interview on CBS This Morning here.