Natalie DiFusco-Funk

Natalie DiFusco-Funk is a 3rd grade teacher at West Salem Elementary School in Salem, Virginia, and the 2016 Virginia State Teacher of the Year. Natalie earned both her bachelor’s in education and master’s in education, with a focus on reading, from Boston College. She began her career teaching 4th grade in Newton, Massachusetts, and moved to Virginia in 2010 after meeting a Southern gentleman, who is now her husband. Once in Virginia, she served as a reading specialist for a year and taught 5th grade 2011–2020. In 2017, Natalie became a consulting teacher for Responsive Classroom. When not in the classroom or traveling for work, Natalie is busy chasing her young son, Frankie.