Brown Middle School teacher named Richmond teacher of the year

Latonya Waller, a science teacher at Lucille Brown Middle School, is the Richmond Public Schools’  2010 Teacher of the Year.

Waller, honored last night at the Richmond Marriott, has been a teacher for eight years and was chosen out of 51 candidates from each of the city’s schools.

Waller, who earned her bachelor of science and master of education degrees at Virginia Commonwealth University, has spent the last three years teaching earth and life sciences at Brown Middle.  She previously taught at Broad Rock Elementary School and was selected that school’s 2005 Teacher of the Year.

In an excerpt from her nomination packet, Waller explained why she wanted to be a teacher: “Simply put, first and foremost, I love children. There are individuals that I believe excel in certain careers because of natural abilities, dutiful preparation and ongoing reflection and refinement. In life, I believe that individuals continuously attempt to find this niche; teaching is mine.“