Teena Robinson is the 2023 Burroughs Wellcome Fund Sandhills Region Teacher of the Year. She has dedicated herself to North Carolina Public Schools since 2006. Teena grew up in Yancey County Schools in the NC mountains and poured into her home community for thirteen years. She moved to Scotland County in early 2019 and taught third grade briefly before she was provided an opportunity in the fall of 2019 to acquire her AIG Add-On from UNC-Pembroke and teach for Richmond County Schools. She had a goal for this advancement for many years, and a desire to learn more about gifted students.
Teena is currently an AIG Facilitator for three schools in Richmond County which affords the opportunity for her to work with students K-5. She loves the variety of opportunities she has in this role to work with kids in different age groups and with such diverse gifts. Teena earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from Appalachian State University in 2002. She obtained her National Boards in 2010 in Middle Childhood Generalist and successfully renewed her boards in 2021. She is humbled by the awards she has received in her teaching career including:” Beginning Teacher of the Year” (2007-2008 in Yancey County), and “Teacher of the Year” three times while teaching at Bee Log Elementary and Burnsville Elementary in Yancey County. Teena also received the NCCTM (North Carolina Council of Teachers of Mathematics) “Outstanding Elementary Mathematics Teacher” award from Yancey County schools in 2013. More recently she was named “Teacher of the Year” at Mineral Springs Elementary (2022-2023), Richmond County Schools “Teacher of the Year” (2022-2023), and Sandhills Region Teacher of the Year (2022- 2023).
Teena has enjoyed mentoring beginning teachers and serving as a cooperating teacher for student teachers. She is a lifelong learner with a heart for children and a passion for student engagement, student voice, STEM, critical thinking, and creative approaches to teaching and learning. Teena also believes positive relationships are vital for student success. You can find her students involved in real-world problem-solving scenarios on a regular basis. Teena has been married since 2011 to Jason and is the proud mother of Ryker who is a second grader in NC Public Schools. Her son and all her students inspire her to advocate for NC public schools, because she knows they are our future! Teena is looking forward to using her role as a district “Teacher of the Year” to be a voice for students! In her free time, she enjoys traveling, crafts, reading, learning, church, hiking, the beach, and visiting family and friends in the NC mountains.