A D.C. teacher was recognized Wednesday for the impact she鈥檚 had on the lives of her students inside and outside the classroom.
And she had no idea it was coming.
鈥淚 can鈥檛 even express how surprised I was,鈥� said Griselda Rutherford-Strong, a teacher at Barnard Elementary School in Northwest D.C.
She was honored with the Life-Changing Teacher Award, from the national nonprofit Honored Schools, beating out 300 other D.C. teachers.
Rutherford-Strong鈥檚 students cheered as she received the award, and that鈥檚 no surprise 鈥� they nominated her. 鈥淓ach child needs different love,鈥� she said of them. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e my babies.鈥�
She said her teaching motto was simple: 鈥淗ow would I want someone to teach my kid? That鈥檚 why I do what I do.鈥�
The award comes with a check for $5,000. So what鈥檚 she going to do with the money? 鈥淸Put] half of it back in my classroom,鈥� she said.
Because that鈥檚 what teachers do.
The nonprofit also honored two educators from Barnard Elementary who passed away during this school year: Sharon McCrea, who taught for more than 40 years at Barnard and 53 years in D.C. Public Schools, and Antoinette Wortham, who taught for 18 years.
