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Madeline Loring still remembers the moment during her second year of teaching when a student read the word “me” for the first time.
On that day 12 years ago, Loring was working with a sixth grader who had never learned to read. To get the girl to that milestone, Loring dutifully taught her the sounds of letters, building her ability to pronounce basic words day after day.
“I just remember her mom calling me, and she was like, ‘I can't thank you enough because you have taken the time to teach my daughter how to read and that's something that nobody can ever take away from her,’” Loring told PA Local. “That just forever stood out for me, because that's how I want to make kids feel every day.”
After teaching special education for two years, Loring took up kindergarten education and later switched to fourth grade math.
Loring was encouraged to pursue teaching by relatives who saw how well she interacted with her nephew and niece. Fourteen years after entering the profession, Loring was named the 2026 Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year.
Her work as an educator and dedication to her community earned her a nomination for PA Local Heroes, our monthly series sponsored by Ballard Spahr.
Loring is in her third year teaching at Jefferson-Morgan Elementary in Greene County. Loring made the jump from kindergarten to fourth grade math when she saw an opportunity to teach in the community where she lives.
She thought the shift would be difficult because the kids are older, but it’s not been too hard, Loring said. Her fourth graders, like her kindergarteners before, respond enthusiastically to lessons that combine play with learning.
“Doctor day,” an event in which she would transform her kindergarten classroom to look like a hospital, dress up as a physician, and have the kids participate in “learning centers,” has carried over well. Her tweak for her fourth graders is to show how medical workers use math.
“It's providing a memorable experience for kids but it's also connecting that learning to real-world applications,” Loring said.
This approach is important for her because the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment, a statewide standardized test, can put a lot of pressure on students. So sometimes as kids age those fun aspects of school get lost and the curriculum grows more intense.
“I've been really grateful to have this opportunity where I can still bring that fun, creative flair into the classroom, and it's engaging learning,” Loring said.
Brandon Robinson, superintendent of Jefferson-Morgan School District, described Loring as an “energizer bunny” who’s always coming up with innovative ways to teach and connect to her students. Her impact on students is evident, he said.
Robinson once heard a student say that the only reason she comes to school is because of Loring.
The comment stuck with Robinson: “I went back and looked at the attendance of that student, and they were habitually truant every year until they hit fourth grade,” he said.
The Teacher of the Year Award recognizes the impact Loring has had on students.
Loring feels incredibly honored, and doesn’t really recall hearing her name called at the award ceremony, which was a luncheon put on by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. She was able to bring her family up on stage to receive the award and hopes her daughters will remember the moment.
Robinson said he was both surprised and not surprised by Loring’s win. In his opinion, rural educators often go overlooked.
“I'll never really forget the moment sitting there and hearing them announce her name, we kind of had a joke and she said the whole time her goal was to make me cry because I'm not an emotional person, and when they called her name I just started crying,” Robinson said.
Nobody deserved it more than Loring, he added.
Beyond the classroom, Loring keeps busy on and off school grounds. She oversees the school’s drama club, mentors student-teachers, and is an active member of a service org and a local church.
Mentoring young educators is especially important for her. “I like to work with student-teachers and really help them find themselves, what it is that they enjoy, what they can create, and make those connections in the real world for kids,” she said.
Robinson views that kind of engagement as essential to the profession.
“I always say teaching is probably 50% of the job. The other 50% is how you connect to the community,” said Robinson. “I firmly believe that and she's a lightning rod of that connection for the community.”
Staying involved, Loring explained, allows her to watch kids she taught continue to grow and evolve into future leaders.
“I think it's important for teachers to be engaged outside of the classroom, just because I think it's great for our students to see that we're not just teachers, we're moms, we're coaches, we're directors, and we're humans just like anybody else,” Loring said.
“I think it hits different when they see you sitting in the stands at a baseball game or a basketball game, or if you're on the side of the stage for a play, cheering them on. Just knowing that you have their back in different capacities besides the classroom really helps to foster that relationship.”
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