Teacher of the Year Finalist: Danisha Love

Jan. 22, 2019 - Danisha Love, Teacher of the Year finalist and math teacher at Raines High School, says her passion for teaching started with her love for learning.

“I love being around knowledge,” said Love. "The knowledge you have can never be taken away from you."

After receiving a degree in biology from the University of Central Florida, Love was given the opportunity to become a teaching assistant as she pursued a master's degree in education. It was while teaching these classes that she discovered her purpose was to inspire her students to love learning as much as she does.

"I made an impact, I loved my kids, I had fun and I didn't turn back," said Love.

Love says she pushes her students to explain step-by-step how they applied what they learned. She said she questions all the answers that her students turn in and has them walk through the process of how they got their answer.

In her six years of teaching, Love has taught hundreds of students math. The biggest life lesson she believes she teaches them, however, is staying flexible and adapting to any situation they are thrown into.

Editor's Note: Danisha Love is one of five finalists for the 2019 Florida Blue Duval County Teacher of the Year. The winner will be announced at the Eddy Awards on Feb. 15. Leading up to the announcement, we will be doing a feature on each of the finalist every week. Read about the other finalists here.