Photo By Courtney Pollock | NAVAL STATION ROTA, Spain (May 18, 2023) Third grade teacher Marla Echols, right,...... read more read more
Teacher. Advocate. Lifelong learner. Community leader. Educator of the heart.
These are just a few of the words that can be used to describe Marla Echols, a third grade teacher at Rota Elementary School, who was recently awarded Teacher of the Year for Europe-South district.
Echols found out she had won the award during a school-wide assembly. Over the screen, Dr. Jeff Arrington, superintendent for Europe South District, stated that Rota Elementary School was not only a Blue Ribbon School but also had Europe South’s Teacher of the Year teaching there.
“He announced my name and the room roared with excitement,” she said. “It was quite an overwhelming feeling of joy and appreciation for their excitement for me.”
A stunned Echols was emotional from the cheers and received her first congratulatory hugs from her husband and son who were on hand for the announcement. In that moment, Echols’ community joyfully showed up to celebrate her achievement similar to how she shows up and celebrates the daily wins of her students.
“Mrs. Echols brings a wealth of knowledge, experience, and teaching strategies that enrich our educational program and inspire our faculty,” said Kenneth Kirk, principal for Rota Elementary School. “Her dedication to excellence and her passion for education creates a culture of learning that benefits everyone in our school."
Her passion to help others started early and was influenced by her family. She deeply believes in the African saying, “it takes a village to raise a child,” and from a young age, she was shown how to support the needs – academically, physically, spiritually and socially – of the children within her community.
Her father was a school bus mechanic and youth sports referee and her mother was a social worker with the Head Start program. Beyond her immediate family, her extended family “all served in some capacity as advocates for children and families.” This background has served as a constant reminder to teach, help and advocate for those in her community.
“I would help kids younger than me learn to read when I was still in elementary school,” she said. “While in high school, I served as a tutor for at-risk students four times a week, helping them fill the gaps they were missing or completing work for school.”
She also served as a teacher’s assistant for preschool-aged children at Sunday School and helped with Vacation Bible School at her church. During her college years, she worked as an afterschool teacher for preschool-aged children and volunteered in many community capacities.
“My examples of the importance of education and advocacy were all around me,” explained Echols, reflecting on her childhood growing up in Columbia, Mississippi. “I have always loved seeing others learn, and it was a great pleasure if I was able to be a part of that experience.”
After graduation and getting her official title as a teacher, Echols went on to teach at several elementary schools across the United States before beginning her career with Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) schools. She has taught with DoDEA in Okinawa, Japan; Fort Knox, Kentucky; and now Rota, Spain. While her villages have changed, she has remained steadfast in her desire to help her students and communities.
Echols describes her students as the “heartbeats of my day” and cultivates a classroom filled with respect, empathy and curiosity. Her students are given tools to learn and the space to try – and possibly make mistakes – in a supportive environment she calls the “Learning N.E.S.T” or “nurtured enthusiastic successful teaching.”
“I believe that teaching includes standards and curriculum, but education is teaching from the heart with a mindset of meeting learners where they are and creating spaces that foster esteem within,” she said.
Through her years of teaching, Echols has shaped her classroom into an environment for students to learn and grow, both academically and as a person. She promotes independence and agency within her students by involving them in activities such as communally developing their classrooms’ guiding principles at the start of the school year.
By having the students create their vision of a positive and inclusive classroom, she hopes “students feel valued, loved, and encouraged to tap into the authentic version of themselves in a safe, loving space where unique individual smarts thrive.”
Echols emphasizes that she wants to meet the students where they are socially, emotionally and academically, and support them to reach their full potential. While everyone has different ways of learning, she does know one constant, fun.
“There has to be a balance,” she said. “When we are able to make learning fun and connect with our students, it helps them learn information.”
For her students, this means “Fun Fridays” where Echols encourages them to try new activities in a group setting. As a class, they select an activity within science, technology, engineering, art, math or literacy that will reinforce what they are currently learning. These collaborative and explorative activities push the students to develop their critical thinking while creating connections with their classmates.
Echols also invests in the school and local community. She sits on several boards and committees in addition to co-teaching a college course on equity, access, and mindset to her colleagues at Rota Elementary School and David Glasgow Farragut (DGF) Middle/High School while also being involved with and leading school-wide initiatives.
“As a teacher leader, I aspire to leverage the expertise of others through collaboration by spearheading complex-wide initiatives like the I W.I.S.H. project, partnering with the community to organize family events, and serving on the feedback panels like the school advisory committee and school leadership team,” she explained.
One recent community-wide event was the Social-Emotional Wellness (SEW) Family Night which was well-received by the Rota community. The event was geared towards parents and highlighted the non-academic aspects of learners with topics on appropriate screen time, communication, mindfulness, and more. By incorporating the entire community, parents were able to know the resources available on the base and better help their young learner.
“She goes above and beyond to engage and support her students, create meaningful learning experiences, and foster a positive and inclusive environment,” said Kirk. “She also collaborates with her colleagues, shares her expertise, and motivates them to strive for greatness."
Kirk believes that her influence extends beyond the classroom helping to shape the school’s culture and values. For Echols, this is simply what you do as an advocate, mentor and leader for your village.
“I appreciate every student and family I’ve been able to envelop with love and knowledge, every colleague and community member I’ve been able to collaborate with and learn from, and every leader who empowered me by respecting my instructional decision and being a transparent thought partner,” said Echols. “I am grateful for the blessing to continue to serve others.”
Rota Elementary School is DoDEA school located on Naval Station (NAVSTA) Rota military base. In conjunction with David Glasgow Farragut (DGF) Middle/High School, the combined campus provides education for installation children, kindergarten through 12th grade. Rota Elementary School was awarded the National Blue Ribbon Award for 2022.
As the "Gateway to the Mediterranean,” NAVSTA Rota provides U.S., NATO and allied forces a strategic hub for operations in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. NAVSTA Rota is a force multiplier, capable of promptly deploying and supporting combat-ready forces through land, air and sea, enabling warfighters and their families, sustaining the fleet and fostering the U.S. and Spanish partnership.
| Date Taken: | 06.08.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 06.08.2023 09:30 |
| Story ID: | 446466 |
| Location: | ES |
| Hometown: | COLUMBIA, MISSISSIPPI, US |
| Web Views: | 226 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Teaching from the Heart: Echols Recognized as Teacher of the Year for Europe-South District, by Courtney Pollock, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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