Olathe educator who always has a ‘smile on her face’ is Kansas Teacher of the Year
Rachel Marlow took a seat behind her piano as she welcomed a class of third graders. When she started to play, her students sang along with her and danced around the classroom.
“The students that I impact in my classroom, whether it’s just for a short time, whether it’s kids who’ve left and come back, they all kind of shape the way that my classroom is informed and how I teach,” Marlow said.
Marlow has been teaching at Olathe Public Schools’ Central Elementary for several years, both as a music and special education teacher. The school off of Cedar Street serves between 250 to 280 students.
Marlow’s years of teaching and efforts to make music accessible to students of all abilities led her to earn the 2026 Kansas Teacher of the Year Award. She is now a nominee for National Teacher of the Year.
“I think I’m just really grateful for this opportunity, and kind of excited to see where it leads and excited to share my story and hear the stories of others,” Marlow said.
Each year, the Kansas Department of Education appoints regional selection panels made up of teachers, district administrators and higher education representatives to select semifinalists and finalists from each region. As the winner, Marlow received a $4,000 cash award and the Kansas Teacher of the Year Lifelong Learning Scholarship — which will allow her to attend participating universities for free during her duration teaching in Kansas.
In addition, she will begin traveling around the state to advocate for education and provide professional development opportunities for fellow teachers.
“I’m excited to travel across the state and be able to hear and listen to the stories of other educators, just some other people in the community, hear what they have to say and just work together with other people so we can make change for tomorrow,” Marlow said.
Marlow’s beginnings
Marlow began her teaching career as a music teacher at a private school for five years before deciding to get her master’s degree in special education.
Her experience at the private school pushed her to pursue special education in order to help reach more students by bridging the gap between abilities and make music more accessible for everyone.
Her degree led her to teaching at Central Elementary, where she started as a special education teacher before coming back into music.
Her additional degree “provided me with a lot more knowledge of what they might be facing, or some strategies that I could use” and allowed her to see students with different needs — expanding her toolbox in teaching.
“So then when I was able to … transition back into teaching music, I took a lot of these things that I had experienced and had encountered back with me into the classroom,” she said.
While she shifted back into music, Marlow still meets one on one with students who may be struggling or in need of additional support.
“It’s a lovely way where I get to kind of tie in both my love for music and my love for education,” she said.
The impact on students
Central Elementary Principal Brandi Leggett said the award is well-deserved.
“She’s able to really just meet the needs of all students,” Leggett said. “If she sees something that maybe is keeping someone from being able to (participate), she’ll work to find a solution.”
Marlow’s hosted concerts for the school choir where students get to perform for their peers and the community where the gym is filled wall to wall and all the seats are taken.
“The way that she takes the kids out to the community is really, really big. She does caroling with the community and all the local businesses in the area. The kids go and sing there,” Leggett said.
She’s written several grants, with one last year to help bring kids to the Kauffman Center for Performing Arts and to see local symphonies play. She’s also brought in outside voices to help teach her students about music.
“She’s mentoring teachers, like one of our new resource teachers. She’s helping out with interventions, with math and reading,” she said. “She’s all over the place and always doing it with a smile on her face.”
Marlow said that her “Central family” has been supporting her along the way.
“We just love being around each other,” she said. “We are really here to support our students and to help them grow and help them be seen and help them find their voice.”
“I just think that the population we teach and the teachers we have in this building make it so special.”
This story was originally published September 24, 2025 at 5:02 PM.
