Teachers can鈥檛 hold back the ways social, political, and technological changes disrupt their students鈥� lives. But teachers have the power to help their students adapt to and thrive in an evolving world, says Ashlie Crosson, the new National Teacher of the Year.
鈥淗elping students realize that learning isn鈥檛 something that鈥檚 happening in a classroom, but happening in your life,鈥� Crosson said in an interview with Education Week after the announcement April 29, 鈥渋s a good way of helping our students find confidence and engagement and motivation.鈥�
The Council of Chief State School Officers tapped Crosson, an English language and composition teacher at Mifflin County High School in Pennsylvania, from four finalists among 56 teachers of the year hailing from the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Department of Defense Education Activity schools, and U.S. territories.
The National Teacher of the Year selection committee called Crosson an 鈥渁uthentic, self-reflective leader,鈥� praising her for 鈥渦sing her voice to help people understand the weight of the teaching profession and the gravity of what teachers do.鈥�
Crosson will take a sabbatical from leading her English, journalism, and Advanced Placement language and composition classes to serve as an ambassador for teachers during the 2025-26 school year.
A high school art trip to Europe proved transformative for Crosson, a first-generation college-goer who grew up in the same rural Pennsylvania community where she now teaches. It sparked her commitment to using literature and writing to help her students understand the global community.
In addition to standard English/language arts and composition classes, Crosson developed a popular elective course called Survival Stories, in which students study novels, documentaries, and other media on global crises like war and natural disasters, told from the perspective of young people.
鈥淚f this is something that real kids are experiencing across the world, then this is something that should have a moment of space and conversation in our classroom,鈥� said Crosson about her approach to the class. 鈥淥ne of the ways that we鈥檝e combated our students鈥� lack of confidence or disengagement with their education is by naturally making the things that they鈥檙e reading and talking about something that they鈥檙e really excited about.鈥�
Getting ahead of technology, including AI
Teachers shouldn鈥檛 shy away from using challenging texts and conversations in their classrooms, even if they touch on divisive topics, Crosson believes.
鈥淥ur profession is one that鈥檚 always going through a lot of social commentary, and I think that pressure or that spotlight can be overwhelming sometimes,鈥� she said.
She also believes teachers need to get ahead of technology, such as artificial intelligence and social media, that has the potential for good or harm in students鈥� lives.
Now that her Generation Z students tend to like TikTok and Instagram, Crosson incorporates multimedia texts and analyses into her ELA courses.
鈥淓ven if they鈥檙e on TikTok or Instagram, students need to learn how to read and analyze and engage with and think critically about visual texts as much as they do black words on white pages,鈥� she said. 鈥淚f that is where they鈥檙e engaging with the world, are they doing so in a way where they have the skillset to discern visual and auditory rhetoric and messaging?鈥�
She acknowledged she鈥檚 felt 鈥渙ut of my element鈥� adapting to AI-powered tools in the classroom this year, but insists that learning about them matters for the future.
鈥淎I is 100% going to be a part of [students鈥橾 workforce, and so we鈥檙e figuring out, what does this look like? ... How do we help them learn to use this in a way that鈥檚 productive and effective and ethical?鈥�
It鈥檚 鈥渉uge and exciting and daunting all at the same time.鈥�
