Charlotte S. Buskill builds positive relationships with every student in her third grade class at Newton Parrish Elementary in Owensboro, Kentucky. She taps into every child’s particular interests, learning what makes them tick and creating connections that keep students engaged in their learning. Every fall, Buskill transforms her room with creative activities related to books the class is reading—then, in the spring, students work together to lead the transformations. Buskill dives into data to make instructional shifts and create individual learning plans, especially in reading, to ensure the success of every student. She holds high expectations and students rise to meet them, knowing that with her support they can do anything they set their minds to do. The supportive team atmosphere Buskill creates leads to impressive results — her students show significant growth on progress monitoring and benchmark data.
A role model for her team and other colleagues, Buskill has served on Newton Parrish’s Teacher Lighthouse Team and committees for Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) and site-based decision-making, as well as the district’s science curriculum committee. She mentors student teachers and researches best practices, freely sharing ideas, information and innovative instructional strategies with colleagues. The leader of Newton Parrish’s STEM club, part of Kentucky’s project-based learning Student Technology Leadership Program, Buskill took several dozen students to Lexington for the school’s first trip to the state STEM competition.
Buskill partners with parents to improve the educational experience for both students and families. She helps with Newton Parrish’s Title I Family Nights and the annual Scholastic Book Fair. Buskill’s love for her students is evident, both in the classroom and beyond — as they move to higher grades, she regularly checks in on them and stays connected. Outside of school, Buskill teaches disc golf and leads a youth group at a local church.
Buskill earned a Bachelor of Science in early childhood education (pre-K-4) from Pennsylvania State University in 2016 and a Master of Arts in literacy education from Western Kentucky University in 2020.
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2020 M.A., Literacy Education, Western Kentucky University
2016 B.S., Early Childhood Education Pre-K 4, Pennsylvania State University
