By learning from the examples of past influential educators, Travis Richardson has strived to make an impact on his students and connect with them on a daily basis regardless of the obstacles placed before them.

It is this through this type of dedication, as well as his proven success in using 21st Century learning goals in the classroom, that has earned Richardson the 2010-11 Ashe County Teacher of the Year Award from the Board of Education.

A fourth grade teacher at Blue Ridge Elementary School, Richardson has returned to the same community where he was raised and received his grade school education. After graduating from the former Northwest Ashe High School, the rising educator went on to earn a degree in elementary education in kindergarten through sixth grade at Appalachian State University – the same institution where he is finishing the final coursework necessary for a Master’s in School Administration.

A typical first-year teacher usually begins the school year like a student would, in the fall of the year with a group of fresh faces and a new foundation that sets the tone for another productive year of learning. But this type of ideal environment for any rising teacher would not be in the cards for Richardson. Instead, following his December commencement ceremony Richardson found himself surrounded by a group of sixth grade students in the middle of the school year in January. Although many rookie teachers would shy away from such an intimidating situation – sixth grade students are after all on the cusp of middle school and adolescent transgressions can run more prevalent in these years – Richardson hit the ground running and has not looked back since.

“It was really tough,” Richardson recalls. “I had to roll my sleeves up and let them know I was there to help them learn. But we did have a really good rest of the year and we were really successful.”

The following school year brought about more changes for Richardson including a new curriculum and a totally new group of young minds to cultivate and challenge. In the fall of 2000, Richardson became the school’s newest second grade teacher – a move that he found both rewarding and strikingly different from the previous age group he taught.

“The sixth graders I had my first year were very eager to learn but weren’t always as quick to respond as the younger kids were. They sort of just learned at their own pace,” Richardson said. “Second graders on the other hand are like little sponges. They soaked up everything I threw at them.”

For the next eight years, Richardson continued to teach second grade at BRES before another frontier in elementary education beckoned him to yet another challenge that this time carried an air of familiarity with it. A move to the fourth grade afforded Richardson the opportunity to teach a subject that he found both he and his students were interested in – North Carolina history. This common ground in learning has fostered a positive working relationship between Richardson and the students. Being in his second year of teaching the fourth grade has also allowed him the opportunity to rekindle the teacher-student relationship he had with the same group of second graders that he parted ways with in 2008.

“The best thing about teaching the fourth grade is seeing the kids I had in the second grade now,” said Richardson. “I can actually share in their success because I knew where they were at (academically) in the second grade and I can see that growth. Next year will be the ultimate test as far as the fourth grade goes because I will have a batch of kids I’ve never worked with before so I’ll be starting from scratch with them.”

With the rewards that come from being a sculptor of young minds and intellects come challenges and obstacles. Some of these hurdles in education come from the difficulties that can arise in connecting with a student on a daily basis and nurturing the overall well being of the child in less than ideal circumstances.

“You have to try to nurture the whole child,” Richardson said. “We all have bad days where we don’t always feel our best and trying to make that connection every day can be difficult. We don’t always know what is going on with them outside of school so we have to be understanding of that as well.”

The ever growing demands in growth and educational requirements placed on students by the Department of Public Instruction can also be stressful in overcoming for teachers and pupils alike.

“Luckily, I have children willing to learn and put forth a lot of effort,” he said. “My kids really do work hard and I’m proud and pleased with the things we’ve accomplished this year and last.”

Richardson is eligible to compete in the Northwest North Carolina Teacher of the Year competition, which will begin this September