English teacher Sigridur Mitchell was nominated for WRAL Teacher of the Week and won for the week of May 18. This is her second time being Teacher of the Week, winning last time in 2022. She encourages learning with her students by showing her own love for it.
“I just felt proud, but kind of awkward at the same time,” said Mitchell. “There are so many awesome teachers at the school, so it’s nice that somebody thought enough of me to write something.”
Mitchell has taught many different levels of English, including English I, English IV and AP Language and Composition. She also taught in Iceland and England, as well as studying in Jordan, France and Sweden. Along with knowing Arabic, Icelandic, French, and Swedish, she is currently studying Latin, Spanish, and German as well.
Students often remember Mitchell from her clumsy moments. She talked about tripping over cords while telling students to pay attention.
“I think just every year I have amazing students that leave a lot behind, and this year is no different. I just teach good people,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell was born in Iceland, and with that, she likes to joke around and speak Icelandic when she is tired. She enjoys telling stories and hasn’t stopped or slowed down with teaching, even after her mother died of cancer in November. Students noticed how she continued to care for them even in the hard times.
“It almost feels like a blur. I think I was just on autopilot, and it felt better to come to work and teach rather than sitting at home. I think at that moment teaching was really good for me because it was normal and kept me going. Otherwise, I think I would have fallen apart,” said Mitchell.
Most of WRAL’s Teachers of the Week are elementary or middle school teachers. People often think of them as the most critical for student learning, but Mitchell’s care shows how high school teachers are just as important. With teaching English IV, she is mostly teaching seniors and she gets to encourage them and give college advice.
Mitchell said, “No two days are the same. You get to be around great literature and great people, all the time. Teenagers are awesome, so I think it’s a mentally fertile environment. It challenges me every day.”
