Reading specialist Robin Brandon named Danville district Teacher of the Year

Robin Brandon, a reading specialist at Woodberry Hills Elementary School, was named Danville Public Schools’ District Teacher of the Year in a feature on the district’s weekly program. "It brought me to tears to see them come and say thank you for your hard work," Brandon said of the school board and superintendent visiting her classroom.

Brandon described how an early decision to apply to the Peace Corps led to a placement in Uganda, where she taught at an all-girls school and said she was inspired to encourage young women to pursue higher education. She credited that experience with shaping her decision to become an educator and with informing her work supporting students who struggle with reading.

At Woodbury Hills, Brandon said her role as a reading specialist gives her a platform to "be the gap" for students who find reading difficult. She said building personal relationships—attending students’ games and recitals when possible, or supporting fundraisers when she cannot—is central to her approach. "Once that foundation is built, we continue to build it over years of serving them," she said.

Michelle Guzman, a teacher at Gallio Magnet High School who hosted the segment, noted other district news including scholastic bowl matches, theater productions and a student from GW who attended Space Camp for visually impaired students. Guzman closed the program by congratulating students and staff and signing off for the week.

The segment aired as part of the Danville Public Schools’ weekly highlights program and did not include any board actions or formal policy proposals.