The 2023 Delaware Teacher of the Year is a 5th grade teacher in the Milford School District.
Gov. John Carney announced Lulu Ross Elementary’s Ashley Lockwood is the state’s top teacher Monday night - selected from a group of 20 district and charter teacher of the year nominees.
Lockwood says being a teacher is one of her greatest blessings.
“Last school year, my students said ‘Ms. Lockwood, you know you got Teacher of the Year because of us right?’" she said in her acceptance speech. "There is never a dull moment in a room full of 5th graders all day and I wouldn’t have it any other way. They are right. They are the reason I am here, they are the reason we are all here, they are the reason we do what we do.”
Lockwood is a member of her district’s newly formed equity action committee and chairs her local union’s ethnic minority affairs community.
In a video honoring all 20 district and charter teacher of the year nominees lauded Lockwood’s dedication to advocating for underrepresented populations.
“Ms. Lockwood creates a great sense of community in the classroom and with their families as well," the video quotes Lockwood's administrator. "They do not hesitate to contact her with questions and or concerns. She makes herself available at all times and if she is not able to provide the necessary support or resources, she reaches out to those who can assist.”
All nominees receive a $2000 cash grant, and Lockwood gets an additional $3000, plus $5000 to be used for her students’ educational benefit.
She also receives a full ride to the doctorate program at one of three Delaware universities and is Delaware’s nominee for National Teacher of the Year.
