LYNCHBURG, Va. – A true team player. Passionate. Innovative. Those were some of the words used to describe Ayanna Stamps-Glover, a special education teacher who has been named the 2024-25 Lynchburg City Schools (LCS) Teacher of the Year.
Stamps-Glover serves as a special education teacher at Heritage Elementary School and works with students with cognitive disabilities in kindergarten through second grade. Her goal? To help each and every student recognize that they can do anything they put their minds to.
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“Though people may underestimate them, I like proving to the world that my students are smart, capable, and can meet goals and expectations. When they leave my classroom and go out into the world, I want them to be prepared for life. I want them to be kind, respectful, and as self-sufficient as they can be, able to navigate themselves and the world while meeting whatever their individual potential is,” Stamps-Glover said.
This mindset has allowed her to help students thrive in their current environment and seamlessly transition into general education settings.
“Ms. Stamps-Glover has elevated the special education adaptive classroom to unprecedented heights, providing opportunities for students who would have previously been placed in separate educational settings to thrive within Heritage Elementary,” Heritage Elementary principal Sharon Anderson said. “She transforms students’ lives and educational trajectories. Students who previously did not communicate verbally are now speaking in short phrases and making verbal requests.”
Teaching is more than just a job for Stamps-Glover, who has been with Lynchburg City Schools since 2014. She started as an instructional assistant at W. M. Bass Elementary School, taught special education at Perrymont Elementary for five years and joined Heritage Elementary in 2023.
“Ms. Stamps-Glover’s deep commitment to meeting the unique needs of each student exemplifies the very best of what it means to be an educator. She is a true advocate and champion for her students, evidenced by her unwavering dedication, creativity in teaching, and belief in the potential of every learner,” said LCS Interim Superintendent Dr. Ben Copeland.
Anderson added: “In my 32 years of education, I have never witnessed such a thoughtful and impactful approach. She is her students’ strongest advocate, supporting both students and their families with integrity and respect.”
Stamps-Glover was nominated by school administrators and selected as the 2024-25 LCS Teacher of the Year after a competitive interview process. She will go on to apply for consideration to represent LCS at the state level as the Virginia Teacher of the Year.
“I do not take this honor lightly, and I would like to thank every staff member who has supported me on my educational journey. I will do my best to represent LCS and Heritage Elementary at the state level,” Stamps-Glover said