Beyond the Classroom: Ashlie Crosson's National Teacher of the Year Recognition
Ashlie Crosson, a dedicated English teacher at Mifflin County High School in Pennsylvania, has been honored by the CCSSO as the 2025 National Teacher of the Year. A recent profile by Penn State's WPSU highlights Crosson's deep commitment to her students and her innovative teaching methods, which heavily emphasize student voice, civic engagement, and the creation of a supportive, empowering classroom. The profile also notes the rigorous, multi-stage selection process for this prestigious award.
Crosson's recognition shines a light on the role that devoted teachers have in molding the future at a local level. Her commitment to her students within her own community powerfully illustrates the importance of robust local schools and the profound influence of individual educators. Although our individual classrooms can feel small, collectively, we have an enormous impact.
At its best, education is community-led. Crosson's roots in Mifflin County, along with her focus on civic engagement and responsible citizenship, exemplifies this ideal beautifully. This prestigious award serves as a well-deserved validation of the tireless dedication of teachers all across the country, who, like Crosson, pour their hearts into their students day in and day out, without seeking any public acknowledgment.
Mifflin County, located in central Pennsylvania, has a rich history rooted in agriculture and manufacturing. Its educational landscape reflects a spectrum of rural and small-town characteristics. Public education in the county is primarily served by the Mifflin County School District. Like many rural districts across the nation, Mifflin County faces its own set of challenges, including resource allocation, teacher retention, and ensuring equitable opportunities for all students. Understanding this context only makes clearer the significance of Crosson's achievement, and the exceptional work being done within a community that may not always be in the national spotlight.
The National Teacher of the Year award matters to teachers, even if only one of us can get it every year. It elevates our profession, bringing much-needed positive attention to the critical work that we do daily. It provides a platform for the winning teacher to advocate for educational policies and practices that benefit students nationwide. And it inspires other educators, showcasing effective teaching methods that can be implemented in our own classrooms. The National Teacher of the Year award serves as a source of validation for the countless hours and energy that teachers invest in their students.
There are, of course, other organizations that produce National Teacher of the Year awards, like Teachers of Tomorrow, who recognized elementary school teacher Makenzie Caulfield this year instead. The most prominent such award, however, comes from the CCSSO, which has been giving the distinction since the year 2000.
Considering the immense impact demonstrated by educators like Ashlie Crosson, one might ask: How can national accolades like this one best be leveraged to truly empower teachers in a way that transcends fleeting recognition, and leads instead to meaningful systemic change?