Second Career for Local Woman Reveals a Hidden Talent as Woman Receives Teacher of the Year Award

In a ceremony attended by several local and National educational leaders, Lisa Burrell was the recipient of the 2010 Teacher of the Year Award.  Mrs. Burrell was nominated for the award after several of her peers and students at Terra Centre Elementary  submitted her name for consideration.  In an interview provided by Mrs. Burrell following the ceremony, she informed the Albuquerque Journal that she had always had a desire to help people, but went about it in a much different way during her earlier years.  Following undergraduate school, she was employed as a Federal Probation Officer in Los Angeles, California.  There, she attended graduate school,  pursued an extremely fulfilling career, and climbed the traditional corporate ladder; ultimately serving as the Deputy Chief of Field Supervision for the Central District of California for several years.  She supervised a variety of offenders including: drug and alcohol offenders, white collar offenders, and managed the gang task force.

However, after the birth of her first daughter 11 years ago, she decided to retire early from the Federal Judiciary, and stay home on a full time basis with her children.  Two more children followed shortly after the birth of her first, and she found herself fully immersed in the business of raising a family.  The first indication that she may enjoy a later career in teaching came when she taught her oldest daughter to read at 4 1/2 years of age.  The excitement and self confidence which developed in her daughter following their completion of 100 Easy Lessons on Reading  was truly a life altering experience.

Many years later, after all three of her daughters were in elementary school, she pursued her teaching license.  She was fortunate enough to find employment as a third grade teacher at Terra Centre Elementary, where she is a full time reading specialists.  During the past year, standardized test results reveal that her students  raised their reading levels by two grade levels.  She credits their academic gains to her uncompromising belief that all children are capable of reading exceptionally well, by making her class engaging, and most importantly, by requiring all parents to volunteer in the classroom at least once a month.  While Mrs. Burrell acknowledges the responsibility of teachers, she stresses the importance of involved parents and has found that parents for whom reading instruction is modeled in the classroom,  they are better able to  assist their children's reading efforts at home.  For Mrs. Burrell, literacy is the core of her educational philosophy, and for anyone who enters her classroom and sees the large bulletin board that reads, "THE MORE YOUR READ THE MORE YOU KNOW, THE MORE YOU KNOW THE FARTHER YOU GO!"  you'll find yourself wanting to immerse your children in books!