The 2015 Salem, Va., School Division Teacher of the Year is proof that success is achievable on multiple levels.

As a wife, mother and educator, Natalie DiFusco-Funk has starred in nationwide teaching videos, conquered the Boston Marathon and consistently prepared her students for the all-important jump to middle school.

“My mom cried when I told her about this honor, and I am very appreciative and humbled by it,” DiFusco-Funk said. “I really do love my job and this is something I have wanted to do since I was in the fifth grade myself. There was no other career path for me and I just feel very fortunate that I am able to do something I love every day and get paid for it.”

She began her teaching career in Newton, Mass., where she taught fourth grade for seven years. In 2010, she moved to Virginia and was hired as a reading specialist by Botetourt County schools. The next year, she joined the Salem School Division and returned to the classroom as a fifth-grade teacher at West Salem.

“My goal every year is to create a community in my classroom where the students are happy and feel safe to share ideas and learn,” she said. “I love teaching all subjects, but one of my favorites is writing because it allows me to enter a child’s world and learn more about my students.”

“One of her best gifts as an educator is her ability to establish a positive classroom atmosphere,” said Debbie Carroll, West Salem Elementary’s principal. “She truly gets to know her students and when you enter her classroom you immediately feel it is a student centered community where children take part in setting goals for themselves, feel safe to express their ideas and learn to work together.”

DiFusco-Funk grew up in Cranston, and earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Boston College’s Lynch School of Education. She finished her graduate requirements with a perfect 4.0 grade point average as a reading specialist, but is quick to point out that her inspiration to teach came from somewhere other than a lecture hall in Chestnut Hill.

Her fifth-grade teacher at Eden Park Elementary school, Jan Philbosian, became her role model and inspiration to work with young people. Ironically, the two recently reconnected through social media.

“I just sent her note thanking her for inspiring me to follow my dreams and my passion,” she said. “I always talk about her on back-to-school night and I can still recite the science lesson she did on antibiotics when I was a fifth-grader.”

Right now, her biggest passion is her young son, Frankie.

“I really love my job more than ever now that I am a parent,” she said. “I feel like I am a better teacher since becoming a parent because I know how parents are feeling when they entrust me with their children.”

She and her husband, Brandon, make their home in Roanoke County with nine-month-old Frankie, and Brandon is the person responsible for getting Natalie to migrate south. After being introduced to each other by some friends at an event near Charlottesville, they stayed in touch and made it through 11 months of long-distance dating before Brandon popped the question.

Just a month before DiFusco-Funk competed in the 2010 Boston Marathon, running for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Brandon showed up in Massachusetts unexpectedly at the conclusion of her final 20-mile training run and surprised her with his presence and a marriage proposal.

“As an outsider coming to Salem I wasn’t sure how my peers would accept my methods or how they would think of me because I do things a little differently,” she said. “Receiving this award to represent my fellow teachers is very special and exciting.”

DiFusco-Funk’s high-energy teaching and outgoing personality have also translated well for the Houghton Mifflin company, which featured her in a series of “Teachers in Training” videos related to integrating technology and building community in the classroom. Her master’s thesis also is cited on the company’s website as a valuable resource.

“Mrs. DiFusco-Funk’s knowledge of curriculum and the differentiation of material is outstanding,” Carroll said.

DiFusco-Funk and other teachers will be honored by the Salem School Board during a special reception on March 24.