Eastbrook Elementary’s Claudia Q. Tull Receives Arch Coal Teacher Achievement Award

Charleston − Growing up as the eldest of six children, Claudia Q. Tull assumed she would not want a career involving young children. But life has a way of proving assumptions wrong. Tull not only became a teacher; but also excelled at it. Today she was one of only 10 teachers in the state to receive an Arch Coal Teacher Achievement Award.

In making the announcement, Arch Coal President and Chief Executive Officer Steven F. Leer presented Tull with a $2,500 award. Also on hand to honor her were Governor Bob Wise, Superintendent of Schools Dr. David Stewart, and West Virginia Education Association President Tom Lange.

“Mrs. Tull is a veteran classroom teacher, with numerous accomplishments to her credit,” notes Winfield’s Eastbrook Elementary School Principal Gary L. Hoffman. “Mrs. Tull has acquired status as a National Board Certified Teacher … presently the only teacher in the Putnam County, W.Va., school system to have earned this distinction. Within the classroom, she exhibits strong diagnostic skills, maintains a positive learning environment and has excellent management strategies. She demonstrates high standards for herself and her students.”

A 20-year veteran educator, Tull teaches her second-graders all subjects. “I believe that young children are natural learners,” she says. “They want to make sense out of their environment and their experiences. I can provide information, experiences and activities that can help my students make connections with previous knowledge and build new understandings.

Her students love school, Tull notes. “They frequently tell me, as they get ready to board buses, ‘I can’t believe it’s time to go home already.’ I strive to make sure my students feel competent and capable as learners. I plan and organize to accommodate varying learning styles and encourage access to learning through multiple intelligences.”

Kim Wolfe is a parent/volunteer in Tull’s classroom. Two of her children have had Tull as a teacher, and she hopes her third child will as well. “Mrs. Tull knows her students well,” says Wolfe. “She picks upon their strengths and weaknesses and works to improve those areas. She takes time to observe each child individually. She sends home letters with each child’s report card, letting parents know how they are doing academically and socially. I appreciate knowing she takes a personal interest in my child.”

Tull earned her bachelor’s degree in education at Earlham College in Richmond, Ind., and Morris Harvey College at Charleston, W.Va. Her master’s degree (+45 hours) is from the West Virginia College of Graduate Studies at Institute, W.Va.

Arch Coal in the nation’s second largest coal producer. Arch employs about 2,000 people in West Virginia. Arch Coal is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: ACI) and makes its corporate headquarters in St., Louis, Mo.