I had the honor of being on the selection panel for the 2017 Minnesota Teacher of the Year Program and this past weekend we did the final interviews on Saturday and the award banquet on Sunday. It has been one of THEE most humbling experiences of my life. I've met amazing people, learned so much about our education system, and saw first hand just how devoted our teachers are to their students/profession and taught me a whole new respect for these people.
Saturday we interviewed 11 deserving finalists and I would be lying if I didn't say tears were in my eyes half the day because of the dedication and passion these teachers project. Here are the 11 finalists:
On Sunday the Teacher of the Year Program put together a beautiful banquet at the Radisson Blu MOA. Shout-out to Megan McKeen and Doug Dooher for working so hard to coordinate everything. I was truly honored to be on a panel with such amazing people. Here are all the people that were on the selection panel:
This isn't the greatest picture but here are all the finalists on stage being given the honor they deserve right before Corey Bulman, an English Teacher from Mound Westonka High School was awarded 2017 Minnesota Teacher of the Year.
And now a special shout-out to this guy, Abdul Wright, the 2016 Teacher of the Year. There's people you come across that will forever change your perspective on life and I can say after being on this panel for the past 4 months, this guy has done just that. He was shown grace when he felt he didn't deserve it and now he has gone on to show that grace to not only his students but everyone that surrounds him. He is a true inspiration and I want to thank him and everyone else I've met through this process for all they have taught me. What I've taken away from getting to know him: be kind to others, be selfless, look and think outside the box, and show grace to everyone no matter the circumstances.
Andddddd, my weekend in five pics would not be complete without at least one picture of me going out so let's rewind to Cinco de Mayo where I enjoyed some margaritas at Psycho Suzi's with some girls.