2020 Kansas Master Teacher Vickie Marcozzi

“I knew within a few minutes this woman was going to change my life. And she did!” states a colleague. “She made me a better teacher… she inspired me to be more animated in the classroom, to be more creative in order to make content come alive. (She has) a relentless quest for self-improvement. She doesn’t do it for an accolade, she does it for the kids.”

Her classroom has an “ever-present sense of adventure…. Like we were on a theme park ride that just happened to involve textbooks and book reports,” said a former student.

“(My son’s) passion for learning (after the year of being in Marcozz’s class) was unmatched for the rest of his academic career. He experienced learning as fun and self-sustaining when presented in the Marcozzi fashion. Learning and school in general were no longer an ‘assignment’ but the bridge between an idea and an accomplishment,” states the parent of another former student.

Marcozzi earned a bachelor’s degree in 1991 from West Virginia University. She began her teaching career in West Virginia, moved to Texas and taught there for three years before moving to Salina in 1996 where she has taught since 1996.

“Accepting work, when you know it is mediocre, is basically opening the door for every piece of work you will get in the future,” Marcozzi states. “Every single student, no matter what situation they find themselves in deserves to be challenged to achieve more than they ever though possible, and it’s my prerogative to get them there.”

“In each situation she puts students first. In each situation she increased parent participation. In each situation she was innovative and considered each child to be unique. In each situation she changed the school climate,” stated a former principal

“I never wanted to become that teacher who refused to grow and change,” Marcozzi said. “I continue to seek opportunities to keep the fire ignited. We must somehow find a way to convince today’s child that the road to a better future starts with them.”