Belle Grove Elementary School teacher Jacqueline Sanderson handed the title of Anne Arundel County Public Schools Teacher of the Year to her successor in April. It turns out, however, she had one more award awaiting her.
Sanderson, who teaches English Language Development at Belle Grove, has been named the 2026 Washington Post Teacher of the Year. She was chosen from among a crop of 18 impressive educators throughout the region.
“When I learned I had been selected as Washington Post Teacher of the Year, I was both grateful and deeply honored,” Sanderson said. “More importantly, this recognition provides an opportunity to bring my message to a broader audience across the DMV: We must amplify English Learner voices, empower educators with the tools they need to support diverse learners, and strengthen partnerships between schools and families. I intend to use this platform to continue advocating for educational practices that ensure every student feels seen, valued, and equipped to succeed."
Sanderson, who was named Anne Arundel County Teacher of the Year in April, was also one of seven finalists for the Maryland Teacher of the Year Award given by the Maryland State Department of Education. She has often talked about the ways in which her work with English Learners has helped her to better understand the power of every student’s voice and the importance of creating classrooms where all students feel seen, heard, and capable of high achievement.
Sanderson is completing her 13th year in Anne Arundel County Public Schools and has spent the last four years at Belle Grove. In addition to championing the capabilities of English Learners, she has worked extensively to strengthen staff capacity across the county through advocacy and collaboration.
Outside of the classroom, she has created and led innovative programs to support multilingual learners and strengthen school-family partnerships, including an arts integration club and a multilingual student news team. At the county level, Sanderson has contributed to the adoption of district-wide ELD and math curriculum of a curriculum to ensure that every student can belong, grow, and succeed. She’s also a member of Maryland Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) and is Nationally Board Certified.
More about Sanderson and her work can be found in this profile in The Washington Post.