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Gazette photo by Andrew Wallmeyer
Afton-Lakeland sixth-grade teacher Derek Olson looks on as Minnesota Teacher of the Year Program Chair Gwen Rudney explains why the group named him its 2008 Teacher of the Year during an award ceremony held at the St. Paul headquarters of Education Minnesota Tuesday afternoon.
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Afton-Lakeland sixth-grade teacher Derek Olson was named Minnesota Teacher of the Year Tuesday afternoon, a distinction the Stillwater resident said he finds equally exciting and humbling.
"When I think of the phenomenal nominees that I went through this with, my mentors who have taught me along the way, and my colleagues - who inspire me daily and from whom I learn so much - I wish I could take this award and break it into pieces and share it with them all. They are passionate educators who are dedicated to their students and to our profession, and they are very deserving of recognition, as well," he said after accepting the award in a small ceremony at the St. Paul headquarters of Education Minnesota, the state teachers union.
Olson was named one of 10 finalists for the award in March, but the distinction ultimately went to Hopkins language arts teacher Carleen Gulstad. Olson got a second chance at the title after Gulstad resigned from the honorary post June 23 citing personal reasons.
The Teacher of the Year selection committee reconvened Friday and selected Olson to replace her. He learned of their decision on Sunday.
As 2008 Minnesota Teacher of the Year, Olson will be the state's nominee for National Teacher of the Year in 2009, and he will be expected to publicly represent the state's roughly 70,000 public school teachers in a variety of ways.
Along with the award, Olson will personally receive $3,000, a portable GPS navigation system, and a smart board and related software, valued at $17,000, for his Afton-Lakeland classroom.
As Minnesota Teacher of the Year, Olson will also have the opportunity to take part in several professional development opportunities with his peers from other states, among them a trip to the White House to meet the president and a stay at NASA Space Camp in Huntsville, Ala.
"I hope that I will be able to bring these experiences back into my own classroom and share them with my students so this will be a journey that we go through together," Olson said. "I think a good teacher can turn anything into a good learning experience, and would like my students to benefit from my role as Teacher of the Year, as well."
For their part, Olson's wife Kris and their three children - Kaija, 11, Ben, 9, and Anna, 5 - said they were extremely proud of him and they were happy he received the award, even if it means he won't be home as much next year.
"It's one thing to know that your spouse loves what they do and to see the way their students are changed ... but it's a whole different thing to have a community recognize what a talented educator he is," Kris Olson said. "It's just overwhelming. It's a gift. We're so proud of him."
Nearby, Olson's parents - who booked a last-minute flight from Chicago to attend the event - were also beaming.
"It's phenomenal, but I'm not surprised, because he's always had a passion for kids; he just thinks they're are wonderful," Mary Olson said.
"When he was rather young, I remember thinking he had a gift, because of the way he would sometimes teach me and his younger sister things," she continued. "It's great to see him now recognized for something he has such a passion for and loves doing so much."
Minnesota Teacher of the Year Program Chair Gwen Rudney said Olson's focus on engaging, hands-on learning experiences, individual student growth and his continual drive to refine his curriculum made him an outstanding candidate.
Those themes were echoed by his District 834 colleagues, many of whom were on hand to see him accept the award.
Among them was Steve Bliven - one of Olson's sixth-grade teaching partners at Afton-Lakeland and himself a former Minnesota Teacher of the Year finalist - who nominated Olson for the award.
"I have the pleasure of being a teaming partner with Derek Olson, who has shown his commitment to his profession, community, faith and family in powerful ways," Bliven wrote in his nomination letter. "His former students know that he truly cares about them, and that he wants to listen to them. He believes his job doesn't end after they leave his sixth-grade classroom, but that he should always be an adult they can go to for encouragement."
At a reception after the award ceremony, Olson's peers were quick to praise him, but the 42-year-old was just as quick to deflect compliments he said could easily have gone to any of them.
As proof, he pointed to the fact that seven District 834 educators were nominated for 2008 Minnesota Teacher of the Year, and four were among the 28 semifinalists for the award: Olson, Carolyn Hild of Andersen Elementary, Sharon Turner of Rutherford Elementary, and Dee White of the Youth & Community Accountability and Prevention Program (YCAPP).
"This is a great honor, and I am happy to have received it ... but I don't feel like any better of a teacher now than I did last week," he said afterward. "I see my primary role as to be a representative of all teachers, and that makes me both excited and nervous. ... One of the main messages that I am able to get across this year is that our schools are filled with great teachers."
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