Henrico's Top Teachers – Antonio Relyea, Johnson Elementary School

Antonio Relyea can't point to an "a-ha" moment when he suddenly realized he wanted to be a teacher.

But he can easily point to a series of stellar teachers – beginning with his first – who helped make school a joyful place full of "fun and interesting things."

"From my first day of kindergarten – which I remember in vivid detail – I fell in love with school," Relyea says. "I will never forget my teacher, Ms. Wagner. It was her first year teaching."

Another teacher he had for third and fourth grades, Ms. Roots, intrigued him with her extensive classroom library, Relyea recalls.

"I read every book she had."

But Relyea, a fourth-grade teacher at Johnson Elementary School, didn't just thirst for knowledge himself; he also found himself drawn to help others learn. As a teen he became a counselor at a Louisa 4-H camp, and he later worked as a summer counselor at Westview on the James. Along the way, he says, his life was enhanced by influential teachers "who drew out the best in me."

After a stint in the military, Relyea began his teaching career, though he continues to serve in the Army Reserve. The dual careers and variety of experience, said one mother, have added to his effectiveness and made him a more compassionate teacher as well as an "extraordinary role model."

"Mr. Relyea's sharing of his life experiences has inspired my son to think about what adventures and paths he can explore after high school graduation," the mom wrote, adding that the teacher has also fired up her son's enthusiasm for learning – even when classes are online.

"I love listening to my son in his virtual class with Mr. Relyea," she said. "Hearing all students engaged, enthusiastic, and collaborating is nothing short of amazing."

Relyea's achievements are even more amazing, she added, when one considers that he is a recently-widowed father of five children. In 2018, he lost his wife to breast cancer.

By nature an optimist who focuses on the positive, Relyea admits that becoming a single dad ratcheted up the already-challenging task of "balancing family life with professional life" by several notches of difficulty. He has nothing but praise for Henrico school leadership (particularly Tanya Murdaugh, his principal) for their support, and for allowing him to transfer to an elementary school near his youngest child's day care.

He also has nothing but good things to say about his students, both past and present. Like many teachers, he enjoys hearing from former students, and has had at least three of them tell him he inspired them to join the military. Even though he never said or did anything outright to influence them, he says, "just hearing that meant a lot to me."

He mentions one former student who cited a specific classroom event in which he helped her open up and be more comfortable with herself, and another student who thanked him at year's end for encouraging her to "embrace her inner weirdo."

In addition, a parent once wrote him a note telling him that before fourth grade, getting her son out the door every day was a chore because he hated school.

"But once he started in my classroom," Relyea says, "he was up early and ready to go every day."

He sums up his passion for the profession by recounting a recent conversation with a fellow teacher in which he raved about how much he loved his class.

"You say that every year," his colleague told him, and went on to say that she believed he simply loves all his classes – and really loves teaching.

"I can't disagree with that," Relyea says, adding that he has had many jobs in his life, but this one makes him happiest.

"Even when students are testing my patience and plucking my last nerve, I still love what I do."