National Teacher of the Year

"Teacher of the Year" redirects here. For the 2014 comedy film, see Teacher of the Year (2014 film). For the 2019 film, see Teacher of the Year (2019 film). For the episode of Danny Phantom, see Teacher of the Year (Danny Phantom).
2010 Teacher of the Year, Sarah Brown Wessling, with President Barack Obama and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.

The National Teacher of the Year is a professional award in the United States. The program began in 1952, as a project by the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), and aims to reward excellence in teaching. It is sponsored by ING.[1]

Selection process

Jason Kamras, 2005 Teacher of the Year, and President George W. Bush in the White House Rose Garden.

Every year, nominations are made by students, principals, teachers and administrators for the State Teacher of the Year awards.[2] The profiles of the winners from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, and U.S. Virgin Islands and the Department of Defense Education Activity are submitted to a selection committee made up of representatives from each of the major education organizations.[3] The committee then reviews the data for each candidate and selects four finalists. The winner is chosen from these finalists based on their biography, interview and eight essays they must submit. The President of the United States traditionally presents the award in the White House Rose Garden.

Although there are no clearly defined requirements, the committee looks for:

  • The ability to inspire children from all backgrounds and abilities
  • The respect of colleagues, students, and parents
  • Activity in the community
  • The ability to fulfill the duties of the award [4]

Duties

The National Teacher of The Year spends a year away from their teaching duties to serve as a spokesman and advocate for the teaching profession. The teacher's state and district continue to pay his/her salary in this year. The arrangements for travel and speaking engagements during the recognition year are taken care of by the CCSSO.[5]

Harassment and politics

Several state winners in the 2020s reported harassment, including death threats, for having pro-LGBT views or being gay. Two were forced to abdicate their responsibilities.[6] Some states (like Georgia) require winners to be apolitical. Others look for candidates that support certain political positions, such as the Arkansas education reform law that limited classroom discussion of critical race theory and LGBT people, or anti-racism in Massachusetts.[6]

Further information: 2020s anti-LGBT movement in the United States

Recipients

2024 Missy Testerman[7] English as a second language (ESL) Rogersville City School, Rogersville, Tennessee
2023 Rebecka Peterson[8] Mathematics Union High School, Tulsa, Oklahoma
2022 Kurt Russell History Oberlin Senior High School, Oberlin, Ohio
2021 Juliana Urtubey Special education Kermit R. Booker Sr. Innovative Elementary School, Las Vegas, Nevada
2020 Tabatha Rosproy[9][10][11][12] Preschool, Early Learning Winfield Early Learning Center, Winfield, Kansas
2019 Rodney Robinson Social Studies, History Virgie Binford Education Center, Richmond, Virginia
2018 Mandy Manning English, Language Arts Joel E. Ferris High School, Spokane, Washington
2017 Sydney Chaffee[13] Humanities Codman Academy Charter Public School, Boston, Massachusetts
2016 Jahana Hayes History John F. Kennedy High School, Waterbury, Connecticut
2015 Shanna Peeples[14] English Palo Duro High School, Amarillo, Texas
2014 Sean McComb English Patapsco High School and Center for the Arts, Baltimore, Maryland
2013 Jeff Charbonneau[15] Chemistry, Physics, Engineering Zillah High School, Zillah, Washington
2012 Rebecca Mieliwocki English Luther Burbank Middle School, Burbank, California
2011 Michelle Shearer Chemistry Urbana High School, Frederick, Maryland
2010 Sarah Brown Wessling English Johnston High School, Johnston, Iowa
2009 Anthony Mullen Special education The ARCH School, Greenwich, Connecticut
2008 Michael Geisen Science Crook County Middle School, Prineville, Oregon
2007 Andrea Peterson Music Monte Cristo Elementary School, Granite Falls, Washington
2006 Kimberly Oliver Kindergarten Broad Acres Elementary, Silver Spring, Maryland
2005 Jason Kamras Mathematics John Philip Sousa Middle School, Washington, D.C.
2004 Kathy Mellor English as a Second Language Davisville Middle School, North Kingstown, Rhode Island
2003 Betsy Rogers Elementary, 1-2 (looping) Leeds Elementary School, Jefferson County Public Schools, Birmingham, Alabama
2002 Chauncey Veatch Social Studies Coachella Valley High School, Thermal, California
2001 Michele Forman Social Studies Middlebury Union High School, Middlebury, Vermont
2000 Marilyn Jachetti Whirry, Ph.D. English Mira Costa High School, Manhattan Beach, California
1999 Andy Baumgartner Kindergarten A. Brian Merry Elementary School, Augusta, Georgia
1998 Philip Bigler Humanities/History Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Alexandria, Virginia
1997 Sharon M. Draper English, Language Arts Walnut Hills High School, Cincinnati, Ohio
1996 Mary Beth Blegen History, Humanities, Writing Worthington Senior High School, Worthington, Minnesota
1995 Elaine B. Griffin K-10 Self Contained Classroom Chiniak School, Chiniak, Alaska
1994 Sandra L. McBrayer Self Contained Classroom Homeless Outreach School, San Diego, California
1993 Tracey Leon Bailey Science Satellite High School, Satellite Beach, Florida
1992 Thomas A. Fleming Special education Washtenaw Intermediate School District, Ann Arbor, Michigan
1991 Rae Ellen McKee Remedial Reading Slanesville Elementary School, Slanesville, West Virginia
1990 Janis T. Gabay English Junipero Serra High School, San Diego, California
1989 Mary V. Bicouvaris Government/International Relations Bethel High School, Hampton, Virginia
1988 Terry Weeks Social Studies Central Middle School, Murfreesboro, Tennessee
1987 Donna H. Oliver Biology Hugh M. Cummings High School, Burlington, North Carolina
1986 Guy R. Doud Language Arts Brainerd Senior High School, Brainerd, Minnesota
1985 Therese Knecht Dozier World History Irmo High School, Columbia, South Carolina
1984 Sherleen S. Sisney History, Economics and Political Science Ballard High School, Louisville, Kentucky
1983 LeRoy E. Hay, Ph.D. English Manchester High School, Manchester, Connecticut
1982 Bruce E. Brombacher Mathematics Jones Junior High School, Upper Arlington, Ohio
1981 Jay Sommer Foreign Languages New Rochelle High School, New Rochelle, New York
1980 Beverly J. Bimes English Hazelwood East High School, St. Louis, Missouri
1979 Marilyn W. Black Elementary Art Bernice A. Ray School, Hanover, New Hampshire
1978 Elaine Barbour Sixth Grade Coal Creek Elementary, Montrose, Colorado
1977 Myrra L. Lee Social Living Helix High School, La Mesa, California
1976 Ruby S. Murchison Social Studies Washington Drive Junior High, Fayetteville, North Carolina
1975 Robert G. Heyer Science Johanna Junior High School, St. Paul, Minnesota
1974 Vivian Tom Social Studies Lincoln High School, Yonkers, New York
1973 John A. Ensworth Sixth Grade Kenwood School, Bend, Oregon
1972 James M. Rogers American History and Black Studies Durham High School, Durham, North Carolina
1971 Martha M. Stringfellow First Grade Lewisville Elementary, Chester County, South Carolina
1970 Johnnie T. Dennis Physics and Math Analysis Walla Walla High School, Walla Walla, Washington
1969 Barbara Goleman Language Arts Miami Jackson High School, Miami, Florida
1968 David E. Graf Vocational Education and Industrial Arts Sandwich Community High School, Sandwich, Illinois
1967 Roger H. Tenney Music Owatonna Junior Senior High School, Owatonna, Minnesota
1966 Mona W. Dayton First Grade Walter Douglas Elementary School, Tucson, Arizona
1965 Richard E. Klinck Sixth Grade Reed Street Elementary, Wheat Ridge, Colorado
1964 Lawana Trout English Charles Page High School, Sand Springs, Oklahoma
1963 Elmon S. Ousley Speech, American Government Bellevue Senior High School, Bellevue, Washington
1962 Marjorie French Mathematics Topeka High School, Topeka, Kansas
1961 Helen Adams Kindergarten Cumberland Public School, Cumberland, Wisconsin
1960 Hazel B. Davenport First Grade Central Elementary School, Beckley, West Virginia
1959 Edna Donley Mathematics and Speech Alva High School, Alva, Oklahoma
1958 Jean Listebarger Humphrey Second Grade Edwards Elementary, Ames, Iowa
1957
(joint) 		Eugene G. Bizzell Speech, English and Debate A.N. McCallum High School, Austin, Texas
Mary F. Schwarz Third Grade Bristol Elementary, Kansas City, Missouri
1956 Richard M. Nelson Science Flathead County High School, Kalispell, Montana
1955 Margaret Perry Fourth Grade Monmouth Elementary, Monmouth, Oregon
1954 Willard C. Widerberg Seventh Grade DeKalb Junior High School, DeKalb, Illinois
1953 Dorothy Hamilton Social Studies Milford High School, Milford, Connecticut
1952 Geraldine Jones First Grade Hope Public School, Santa Barbara, California

References

  1. ^ "National Teacher of the Year". Council of Chief State School Officers. Archived from the original on 2006-05-07. Retrieved 2006-05-16.
  2. ^ "Sharon M. Draper: 1997 National Teacher of the Year". Archived from the original on 2007-05-20. Retrieved 2007-04-26.
  3. ^ "Kimberly Oliver: 2006 National Teacher of the Year". Archived from the original on June 16, 2010.
  4. ^ "Selection Process". Council of Chief State School Officers. Archived from the original on 2005-12-12. Retrieved 2006-05-16.
  5. ^ "Recognition Year". Council of Chief State School Officers. Archived from the original on 2006-05-22. Retrieved 2006-05-16.
  6. ^ a b Tal Kopan (August 10, 2023). "Teacher of the Year was supposed to be an honor. Then politics intervened". The Boston Globe.
  7. ^ "2024 National Teacher of the Year, Missy Testerman – ntoy.ccsso.org". Retrieved 2024-04-03.
  8. ^ "2023 National Teacher of the Year, Rebecka Peterson – ntoy.ccsso.org". Retrieved 2023-11-16.
  9. ^ "Tabatha Rosproy, 2020 National Teacher of the Year – ntoy.ccsso.org".
  10. ^ "CapFed Best News: Kansas educator named 2020 National Teacher of the Year".
  11. ^ "Kansas Teacher of the Year Team".
  12. ^ "Tabatha Rosproy named 2020 National Teacher of the Year - CBS News". CBS News.
  13. ^ "Sydney Chaffee | CCSSO".
  14. ^ Layton, Lyndsey (2015-04-27). "A former disc jockey, pet sitter and journalist becomes Teacher of the Year". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2022-08-30.
  15. ^ "President Obama Honors the 2013 National Teacher of the Year". whitehouse.gov. 23 April 2013. Retrieved 2013-04-24 – via National Archives.