For the second time in three years, Penn Manor School District has a Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year finalist.
Elizabeth Raff, who teaches sixth grade at Pequea Elementary School, was named one of just 12 finalists for the state honor for 2021. Raff was nominated by two previous Teacher of the Year nominees, Jeff Kuntz of Punxsutawney and Penn Manor High School psychology teacher Maria Vita, who was a finalist for the 2019 award.
"It is truly an honor and a humbling experience to become a finalist for Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year," said Raff. "I am grateful for the opportunity to share my passion and enthusiasm for education. None of this would be possible without the leadership and support from my administrators and fellow teachers."
In a letter of recommendation to the review committee, parent Marlisa Thomas had high praise for her daughter's former teacher. "Our family is so grateful that our daughter, Stella, found a place in Mrs. Raff's unique sixth-grade classroom," Thomas wrote. "She was nurtured each day and challenged to grow and succeed, not just academically, but in her awareness and maturity."
Raff's classroom was decorated in an "Alice in Wonderland" theme and featured a large library with books in every genre, as well as a raised stage where students could present poetry, book reports, and original music to the entire class. Raff has encouraged movement among her students, leading them through physical exercises that help them understand parts of speech, literary conventions, and other lessons.
"Whether (Stella) was engaged in conversations about our current political climate, building a bat house, chanting the parts of a story, dancing, singing, drawing with erasable markers on her desk, finding her way through a spy laser maze, or participating in a 'book tasting' ... my daughter was consistently engaged in kind and respectful dialogue around important issues and the value of learning from each other," Thomas said in her letter.
Raff taught in Philadelphia for two years before joining the Pequea staff in 2014. She graduated from Messiah College with a degree in elementary education and completed her master's degree in curriculum and instruction from Penn State University. She is currently pursuing her principal certification through Penn State.
Raff lives in Lancaster Township with her husband, Jeremy, and their son, Owen.
The 2021 Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year will be named in December.
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