About Teacher of the Year
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Purpose
The Teacher of the Year Program seeks annually to honor and recognize excellence in the teaching profession by identifying outstanding Alabama classroom teachers at local, district, and state levels.
Duties
The Alabama Teacher of the Year serves as a full-time ambassador for the teaching profession for one year by speaking to civic and professional organizations, K-12 schools, colleges and universities; conducting workshops for teachers; and writing newspaper and magazine articles.
Eligibility
The Alabama Teacher of the Year Program is open to any public school certified classroom teacher, librarian, counselor, or other certified individuals whose major responsibility is to work with children in a K-12 setting and provide learning opportunities to meet the academic goals and graduation requirements set by the Alabama State Board of Education. Individuals must be selected by the faculty at the participating school and serve in a capacity for which they hold proper certification.
Selection Process
The selection process for the Alabama Teacher of the Year begins at the school level with the selection of a Teacher of the Year to represent each school. Each nominee is then interviewed by a system-level committee that selects an Elementary (K-6) and Secondary (7-12) Teacher to represent the school system. Those two winners are then forwarded to the Alabama State Department of Education where they compete with other teachers from across the state for the Alabama Teacher of the Year Award.