2018 National Teacher of the Year Mandy Manning (center, with glasses) met with Returned Peace Corps Volunteers in Washington D.C. on Sunday as she prepared for a series of meetings with top federal officials including stops at the Department of Education and the White House. Manning teaches immigrant and refugee children at Joel E. Ferris High School in Spokane, Washington. Manning said her two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Armenia helped convince her to become a teacher. “I’m very excited for this opportunity to tell about my students, and to give some perspective,” Manning told the RPCVs in attendance.
Representatives of the Peace Corps Community for Refugees (PCC4Refugees) were on hand for the meeting. They, along with NPCA, extended their support to Mandy as she embarks on a yearlong national tour advocating for the more than three million teachers and 50 million public school students across the country. PCC4Refugees leader Barbara Busch shared, “meeting Mandy today was so inspiring! Her enthusiasm, expertise and obvious love for her students was awesome and really infectious! I think we all left with renewed hope and energy!”
PCC4Refugees engages former Peace Corps volunteers in advocating for humane immigration policies and helping refugee families resettle in their communities, as well as helping refugees overseas. “Mandy is an inspiration to anyone who values quality teaching and appreciates the particular challenge of helping refugee and immigrant students succeed in America. Her selection as National Teacher of the Year is a welcome recognition by the nation’s top school leaders of her distinguished career, as well as the importance of welcoming newcomers like her students,” stated PCC4Refugees member Pat Nyhan.
Learn more about PCC4Refugees and how they will be supporting Mandy.
Pictured top row (left to right): Jean Aden, Valerie Kurka, Manning, Barbara Busch, Pat Nyhan, Colleen Conroy and Don Drach. Bottom row (l-r): Meisha Robinson and Anne Baker.
