Missy Testerman, 2024 National Teacher of the Year
Missy Testerman is a K-8 English as a second language (ESL) teacher in Rogersville, TN. Ms. Testerman served as a first and second grade teacher for three decades before adding an ESL endorsement three years ago through her state's Grow Your Own initiative. Ms. Testerman is the 2024 National Teacher of the Year and the 2024 Tennessee Teacher of the Year.
In this interview with Colorín Colorado, she talks about her work with newcomer students and families and shares some of her favorite instructional practices.
Teaching Newcomers
Family Engagement
Classroom Strategies
Becoming an ESL Teacher
Related Resources
Learn more about Ms. Testerman and her platform for the coming year:
- Meet the National Teacher of the Year: Missy Testerman (CCSSO)
- How the 2024 National Teacher of the Year helps English learners adapt in rural Appalachia (Chalkbeat)
- Video: Missy Testerman, a teacher for over 30 years, is the National Teacher of the Year (CBS News)
- In rural Tennessee, the National Teacher of the Year helps diverse students and their families thrive (WPLN)
- Missy Testerman Makes Immigrant Students Feel Welcome. She’s the National Teacher of the Year (Education Week)
Chalkbeat writes, "As an English as a Second Language specialist at her Tennessee school and a long-time member of her rural Appalachian community, Missy Testerman often finds herself straddling two worlds, trying to bridge the divide. That could mean anything from accompanying a student and his mother to get a refill for epilepsy medication, to showing the staff at the local courthouse how to use a translation app so they can communicate with immigrant families."