What are the selection criteria?
Teachers fill out an application describing their professional interests, community involvement, and philosophy of teaching. They also answer questions about education issues and trends and the teaching profession. Local selection criteria vary. Contact local school systems for that information.
What is the selection process?
Teachers must first be selected as state candidates by their local school systems and should contact their specific central office for applications. Twenty-four school systems submit their local Teacher of the Year candidate to MSDE. Written applications are judged and finalists are interviewed at the state level by a panel of education and community leaders. The panel consists of representatives of education, community, and corporate organizations.
How can a teacher be recommended for this award?
School systems are always searching for recommendations for this and other teacher awards. Contact your local public school system and ask to speak to its Teacher of the Year Coordinator. You can also contact the Maryland State Department of Education's Office of Partnerships at 410-767-0370.
What Maryland Teacher of the Year celebrations and events take place?
Maryland's twenty-four Teachers of the Year are celebrated in many ways by their local school systems. State honors include: The Maryland State Board of Education Ceremony and Luncheon, The Governor’s Reception at the Mansion, Recognition on the floor of the Maryland House and Senate, and Teacher of the Year Day in the Owner’s Box at Camden Yards and recognition on the field. An Oscar's style event, the Maryland Teacher of the Year Gala, is Maryland's most prestigious education event and is held annually in the fall.
What do Teachers of the Year receive?
Teachers of the Year win tremendous respect as the nation's best teachers. This reputation means prestige in the community and in the State. The Maryland Teacher of the Year also receives a brand new car as a gift from Maryland’s New Car & Truck Dealers’ Association. In addition, the Maryland winner receives a cash award, $20,000 in technology equipment from Smart Technologies, and numerous other prizes. The winner’s school receives an intereactive white board from Peripheral Vision, valued at over $15,000. Winning teachers are featured in video and television productions as well as in newspapers across the State.
What role does the Maryland Teacher of the Year play?
The Maryland Teacher of the Year travels the state, speaking at numerous conferences, dinners, and other events. The teacher participates in National Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama, and is invited to U.S. Department of Education programs including an opportunity to meet the President of the United States. The Maryland Teacher of the Year also participates in an annual national meeting in Dallas, Texas, sponsored by the Council of Chief State School Officers, Scholastic, Inc., and the Maryland State Department of Education.
Mrs. Laura Bush addresses the audience Wednesday, April 26, 2006, as President Bush and Kim Oliver, the 2006 National Teacher of the Year, look on during a ceremony on the South Lawn honoring Ms. Oliver and the State Teachers of the Year. White House photo by Paul Morse
President George W. Bush and Mrs. Laura Bush accompany 2006 National Teacher of the Year Kim Oliver to the South Lawn ceremony in her honor Wednesday, April 26, 2006. Said the President of the Silver Spring, Maryland kindergarten teacher, "Kim Oliver understands that the key to helping children succeed is fighting the soft bigotry of low expectations." White House photo by Paul Morse
The Maryland Teacher of the Year attends important state functions in Annapolis and acts as advisor to the Maryland State Department of Education. While Maryland Teachers of the Year continue to teach during their appointed year, often they are given partner teachers, enabling them to participate in speaking engagements throughout the state. As a National Teacher of the Year, the teacher leaves the classroom for one full year to serve as a national education ambassador.
The Maryland Teacher of the Year Program is made possible by the generosity of its major sponsors:
Presenting Sponsors
Maryland New Car & Truck Dealers' Association
McDonald’s Family of Greater Baltimore
Platinum Sponsors
Bank of America
Comcast Cablevision
Lockheed Martin Corporation
Northrop Grumman Electronic Sensors & Systems Sector
The Sallie Mae Fund
Whiting Turner Contracting
Peripheral Vision
Gold Sponsors
The Baltimore Sun
M&T Bank
The Maryland State Teachers Association
State Farm Insurance Companies