Excellent Educators is a WAVY-TV 10 initiative to celebrate local teachers who have gone above and beyond for their students and communities during the coronavirus pandemic. These Excellent Educators were nominated by their school divisions. Congratulations to these educators for all of their hard work and accomplishments!

Name: Marcia Lewis

Division: Hampton City Schools

Position: First grade teacher at George P. Phenix PreK-8 School

What the school division said about this Excellent Educator: Marcia Lewis has continued to connect with her students and their families, at all hours of the day and even weekends, since the first day of school. She shared that connecting with her students and parents has actually been more impactful while navigating through virtual learning. She taught her students how to personally message her through Clever. She answers each login, even after class and on weekends.  

Just recently, around 7 p.m., her email alert flashed on her phone notifying her that one of her students was logging into Zoom. Even though it was late in the evening, she logged on to check on her student. As soon as she logged on the student’s eyes lit up. The child’s mother realized what had happened and apologized for it being so late and her child trying to reach Lewis at such an hour. Lewis assured the mother that it was fine and asked if she could read a bedtime story to the student and his sibling. They then virtually read “Avengers” and talked about all the superheroes.   

Lewis strives to ensure each student is engaged, from creating scavenger hunts on different subjects and using the Cha Cha Slide for movement, to inviting parent guest readers and having virtual lunch with the teacher. She has not let COVID-19 stop learning. As the class learned about the seasons, she took her laptop outside to see changing trees. The class has traveled to the zoo, aquariums, and farms all through virtual field trips. 

Her goal is to have fun, and even get a bit silly, because she wants all of her students to love school and know that she cares about them even though times are different. From teaching during the day, to delivering desks to students, dropping off food baskets, or leaving workbooks and supplies in a mailbox on her way to and from work, she wants her families to know that she will do whatever she needs to do to make the virtual experience easier.