2023 Teacher of the Year – Rob Leichner

Rob Leichner, the 2023-24 NCVPS Teacher of the Year, has been a Math 1 and Math 2 co-teacher with NCVPS for the past 10 years. He also taught various high school math courses and coached rugby at West Mecklenburg High School, in Charlotte, for 12 years, and he has been a district math specialist for the past 7 years. At the state level, Rob worked with DPI throughout the most recent standards revision process, helping review stakeholder feedback from around the state and write the unpacking documents, and he has worked and presented with NC2ML on various projects supporting the implementation of the new standards and pedagogy for conceptual understanding in math.

Through all of these experiences, Rob has become convinced that We’re ALL Math People, and our Students Are ALL Math People. He believes every student in North Carolina has the ability to learn higher-level math concepts, and we can continue working to eliminate many of the inequities in our schools and our society if we believe in ALL of our students in ALL courses and act on this belief.

Originally from Scotch Plains, New Jersey, Rob attended UNC-Chapel Hill (go Tar Heels!) with a double major in Journalism and History and earned a Master’s in Education from UNC- Charlotte. He moved to Charlotte in 2004 to begin his teaching career. His wife is a children’s librarian in Mecklenburg County (We’re ALL Readers also), and he has two daughters in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. Outside of teaching and math, Rob enjoys sports, especially the New York Giants, New York Mets, Charlotte Hornets, and UNC Tar Heels; collecting sports cards; inventing and cooking new recipes; and playing with his daughters.

Two inspiring quotes from Rob:

“Education is possibly the only institution in our society that includes ALL people, as everyone in our state and our country goes through some form of schooling. For that reason, it is essential that ALL people feel included, seen, and represented in education, whether face-to-face, virtual, or blended.”

“If selected as NCVPS Teacher of the Year, I am excited to build upon my past advocacy experience to include the benefits of virtual learning. Throughout my career, I have written a column for a national magazine about higher-level standards, led statewide face-to-face and virtual seminars for teachers on high-level math instruction, presented several sessions at national and state conferences, and worked at the state level on standards and unpacking documents.”