Students at Central Elementary School in Olathe know what makes a great teacher — they need to have patience and a sense of humor and know how to make learning fun.
They’re in luck because Rachel Marlow, the school’s music teacher, has all of those skills and more.
“She's very smart and talented, she's very kind, she's good at teaching, she loves kids, and she kind of just has a cool spirit,” fourth grader Remy Slyter said.
Central Elementary students aren’t the only ones who think Marlow’s a top teacher. The state education department named her the 2026 Kansas Teacher of the Year out of more than 100 nominees.
Each year, the department selects an educator who represents excellence in teaching. At an awards ceremony in Wichita last month, Marlow said she felt honored to be recognized by her peers.
“When you're sitting in a room full of kids who want to become teachers, and some who are in college to become teachers in the near future with current teachers, and then people who have long retired, it's just so humbling to think that they chose to recognize me among all of this greatness to represent Kansas teachers,” Marlow said.
Marlow said she started teaching as a child, pulling in neighborhood kids to put on shows and dances. She earned her degree in music education and got her formal start in education at a private school before getting her master’s degree in special education.
She taught special education for several years at Central Elementary before moving into music education about four years ago.
While Marlow may be humble about her teaching expertise, her students aren’t. They speak endlessly about her singing skills, sense of humor and kindness — but note that goodwill doesn’t go too far.
“I'm glad she's not too kind, because if you're too kind, then you don't really teach that much,” Remy said. “But she's kind of like the perfect amount of kind, but the perfect amount of teaching us things, because she's a very good and talented teacher.”
One way Marlow ensures students are learning is by making her lessons fun. Students described games she’s created, including a first-day-of-school scavenger hunt. Others appreciated the chance to play music from “Wicked” or “Moana” on the recorder.
Avery Collins, a fifth grader, said students are well rewarded for listening in class. Her class got to sing the national anthem at a trip to a Monarchs game.
“She plans really fun things and plenty of field trips, and they take up some of the school day, so then maybe I'll miss math or something,” Avery said.
Other students look forward to playing songs that Marlow writes herself. Fourth grader Elliot Mowry, who is also in her choir class, is quick to remember a song about Twinkies.
“She makes just songs, but she makes them like fun songs that can be relatable to us,” Elliot said.
The levity in her class is by design. Marlow said music carries people through all walks of life, especially when they’re feeling low. Her students are working hard all day on academics and more.
“So having moments in my classroom where we're just spreading joy, we're laughing, we're having a good time,” Marlow said. “We're learning instruments and sometimes, I'll make a mistake on an instrument, and we just laugh about it and it's OK.”
There are also bigger lessons students are learning.
“She's very positive in herself and she is helpful to others, and she never gives up on anything,” said fifth grader AJ, who won the role of a wave and sous chef in a production of “The Little Mermaid” after Marlow helped him audition.
The state education department said many of Marlow’s nomination letters noted her commitment to creating a diverse and inclusive space for students to learn. Those values are reflected in the music she creates, according to fourth grader Jas.
Jas said her favorite part of Marlow’s class are songs with messages about being nice to others. She said Marlow teaches them all people “are one” even if they have different cultures, skin colors or languages.
“She's like, ‘Respect everyone, even a student,’ and she's kind to everyone,” Jas said.
What gets Marlow through the hard days is when students run into the room and they tell her about a new song or show her something they've learned.
“For some of our kids, they just struggled to belong in school,” Marlow said. “I hope that music is a place where they can find belonging, where they can participate, where they can interact with kids that they may not interact with in other places, and that hopefully they can find a passion that they can kind of carry with them through life.”
Marlow will represent Kansas in the National Teacher of the Year competition. In her new role, she’ll also travel around Kansas to advocate for education and the teaching profession.
