Posted on: 8/18/25

An assembly Vanessa Smith thought was to kick off the holiday season and celebrate the school’s academic gains from the 2023-24 school year, turned into a recognition beyond her belief.

On Dec. 18, 2024, Smith, a first grade teacher at Croft Community School, was recognized as a winner of a national Milken Educator Award — which recognizes early- to mid-career education professionals for their dedication to excellence in education and leadership. As a recipient, Smith received $25,000 and attended a three-day Milken Awards Forum in California where she met past and current Milken Educator Award winners. 

“I think the whole view on the award is it’s a milestone, and not a lifetime achievement,” said Smith. “(The award) helps you push yourself and reaffirms your hard work and that you’re making a difference.”

Smith, who is also an Expanded Impact 2 teacher, is entering her seventh year teaching first grade and is very data-driven in her work. As a National Board Certified teacher, Smith loves to dive deep into her students’ data to make instructional decisions that fit their individual needs. 

Principal Shannon Hamilton said Smith is “all in” when it comes to getting her students where they need to be. 

“Vanessa is the most passionate, positive, bubbly teacher out there and comes in positive and supportive every single day,” said Hamilton. “She prides herself on knowing where her students come in. They have their own individual goals and she’s pedal to the metal until they get there.”

But it’s not just data Smith focuses on. She also looks at nurturing the whole child and advocating for the needs of not only her students, but her colleagues as well. Smith serves as a mentor to beginning teachers and is passionate about ensuring that they have the support they need to be successful in the classroom. 

“The stronger they are, the stronger the education the kids get and the better they are at their jobs,” said Smith. “And it makes them want to be here and feel supported. No matter what your job is like, you want to have people that believe in you and support you.”

Looking toward the 2025-26 school year, Smith said she’s going to continue to advocate for her students and colleagues. She rejoined the district’s Teacher Leader Pathway program and is looking to expand her impact in roles like a multi-classroom leader or an Expanded Impact 3 teacher.

“I feel really passionate about making (teachers) see realistic ways of teaching, but then also being in their classroom to adapt things to the students they see in front of them,” said Smith. “Getting the opportunity to coach, support, model and adapt things in the moment makes such a big difference in having teachers stay in the field to then become better teachers. And hopefully that will be next year’s mission — to push beyond the classroom a little more because I love teaching and I love the impact in the classroom, but I definitely want to help uplift new teachers and teachers alike.”

Hamilton is in full support of Smith’s leadership goals and knows she has a lot of knowledge to share.

“Even before the award, due to how she shows up, you need only walk into her class to see high levels of engagement at all times, high accountability and high expectations for kids everywhere they go in the building,” said Hamilton. “She has the respect of her colleagues and peers just for how she shows up every day.”