Fourth-grade teacher Alyssa Dalsing checks in with her students Brooklyn Schmidt (left) and Harper Moreland, both 9 years old, during an indoor recess at Epworth Elementary School on Monday. Dalsing was one of nine educators named Iowa Regional Teachers of the Year in a new statewide designation. Those teachers will serve as finalists for the 2025 Iowa Teacher of the Year award.
Fourth-grade teacher Alyssa Dalsing checks in with her students Brooklyn Schmidt (left) and Harper Moreland, both 9 years old, during an indoor recess at Epworth Elementary School on Monday. Dalsing was one of nine educators named Iowa Regional Teachers of the Year in a new statewide designation. Those teachers will serve as finalists for the 2025 Iowa Teacher of the Year award.
EPWORTH, Iowa — Alyssa Dalsing has long been drawn to the teacher’s desk.
Her mother ran an in-home day care from the time Dalsing was a toddler, so being around children was natural for her. That experience, combined with a lifelong love of learning, a curious attitude and a problem-solving spirit, made it easy for her to select a career in education.
“It’s more who I am, not something I chose to be,” said Dalsing, a fourth-grade teacher at Epworth (Iowa) Elementary School.
Now, Dalsing’s passion for teaching has earned her statewide recognition.
She is one of nine Iowa educators named Iowa Regional Teachers of the Year in a new statewide designation announced Monday by Iowa Department of Education.
One Regional Teacher of the Year was selected from each of Iowa’s nine area education agency districts, with Dalsing representing Keystone AEA. She and the other eight educators are finalists for the 2025 Iowa Teacher of the Year award to be announced later this year.
Dalsing is in her 11th year as a teacher and her second at Epworth Elementary School. She previously worked at Bernard, Dyersville and Peosta elementary schools teaching pre-kindergarten, first- and third-grade students at various times in her career.
Dalsing said she now enjoys the “deeper, more meaningful conversations” she can have with her fourth-grade students.
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“They’re starting to really have questions about the world ... and watching them discover who they are and discover things about the world is really exciting,” she said. “I’m a naturally curious person, so inspiring that in them is what I really enjoy the most.”
Epworth Elementary School Principal Greg Deutmeyer said Dalsing embodies the Western Dubuque district’s value of continual growth by constantly pursuing professional learning opportunities. If a committee is formed to discuss ways of improving literacy or math instruction, for example, Dalsing is the first to join the group.
“She’s always pushing herself to learn as an educator and then taking that learning and putting it into practice in her classroom,” Deutmeyer said.
Students Brooklyn Schmidt and Harper Moreland, both 9, said Dalsing is a good teacher who works hard to make sure all her students comprehend the material.
“She helps us when we don’t understand things,” Brooklyn said. “(Some of us) don’t always do math that well, but she’s helped us get better.”
For Dalsing, watching her students grasp a difficult concept or correctly solve a tricky math problem is among the best parts of her job.
“Sometimes, for adults, it may seem like a small thing, but for them, it’s huge,” she said. “I love seeing that, and I believe that all of my students are capable of having those lightbulb moments.”
