For more than 20 years, Jean Russell has been positively affecting children’s lives through her work as a teacher and literacy coach in Fort Wayne, Indiana. That dedication to students paid off when she was named the 2016 Indiana Teacher of the Year.

After receiving the award, Russell shared her experiences with colleagues and education students around the state, hoping to help recruit and retain great teachers in Indiana. Her talks are encouraging but also grounded, since she knows that teachers face difficult decisions each day. But her energy and passion are inspiring, and all based on a student-centered approach. “I wake up for the kids every day,” she told the Courier & Press in Evansville, Indiana.

Russell received her M.A. in Elementary Education from Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne in 1996.