Introducing EdOptions Academy Teacher of the Year Diane McRandal!

At Edmentum, we take our ‘Educator First’ mission to heart—for the teachers and administrators we partner with across the country, and for the virtual teachers that work for our EdOptions Academy virtual school!

Whether it’s being done online or in-person, teaching is a demanding job. It takes many hours, a lot of passion, and total commitment to students. We see this dedication shine through in our own EdOptions Academy teachers every day, and we want to be sure we’re sharing all of the hard work they’re accomplishing and the positive impact they’re having on students. That’s why we’re excited to announce our new annual Edmentum EdOptions Academy Educator of the Year Award and introduce our very first winner—Health and Physical Education teacher Diane McRandal!

Ms. McRandal was nominated by her peer teachers on the EdOptions Academy team for her creativity and innovation, her ‘can-do’ attitude, and most importantly, her consistent efforts to go above and beyond for her students. Ms. McRandal is truly making a difference in the lives of her students—and her passion for what she does is easy to see. Watch this video to hear from Ms. McRandal in her own words about why she loves her work as a teacher, how she interacts with students, and why she believes in the power of virtual learning options:

And it’s not just her students that Ms. McRandal is having an impact on—she’s a recognized leader, outstanding teacher, and inspiration for her colleagues as well. Here is just some of the praise Ms. Randal received from the fellow EdOptions Academy teachers who nominated her as our Teacher of the Year:

“Ms. McRandal will do anything and everything to connect with her kids. She does not take no for an answer but rather strives to show her students, families, and schools that all things are possible. She connects with [students] and believes they can. She has numerous stories of how she helped a student cross the finish line when the parent, school, or sometimes even the student did not believe they could.  She has a gift for working with at-risk and special education students and it is evident in how she goes above and beyond.”

“Ms. McRandal is a natural leader.  She is not afraid to speak up, lead the way, challenge others and be a role model for what virtual high-quality instruction looks like.”

“Ms. McRandal constantly comes up with new and innovative ways to engage students through Zoom [video conferencing] and ways to partner with schools to make sure that each student has what they need in and out of the virtual world to be successful.”

“Every decision Ms. McRandal makes is ‘What is best for the student?’”

“Thinking about Diane’s commitment to her students uplifts my heart and leaves me teary-eyed. She works assiduously to connect with her students to meet their individual learning needs. While on a school visit with Diane, I witnessed the students’ faces light up instantaneously! Diane’s devotedness is clear!”

"Diane is the sunshine of our team! She works so hard (while making it look so easy) to build relationships with her students and her colleagues, and she is passionate about everything she does."

"I have to say that Diane has made an impression. She spreads her sunshine everywhere she goes."

“Diane truly embodies EdOptions Academy's vision "Empowering futures, one student at a time." She goes above and beyond for her all of her students. Diane is an amazing person and the best colleague anyone could ask for.”

We want to send a huge congratulations to Ms. McRandal for her outstanding work as an EdOptions Academy teacher, and first recipient of our EdOptions Academy Teacher of the Year Award! You can get to know Ms. McRandal better with this interview, or learn more about how all EdOptions Academy virtual teachers work with students in virtual courses to make sure they have an engaging, personalized experience!