Tennessee Department of Education details Teacher of the Year application steps, deadlines

Sarah Brown, senior coordinator of educator recognition for the Tennessee Department of Education, hosted a virtual webinar that reviewed eligibility, application steps and deadlines for the Tennessee Teacher of the Year program and warned participants that the state does not permit generative AI tools in meetings hosted on state resources.

Brown opened the session by reading a technical restriction: “The state of Tennessee does not currently permit the use of generative AI tools such as Otter in meetings hosted on state resources.” She told attendees that state meetings with contractors, vendors and subrecipients “may involve discussion of protected state data” and said the state will block tools it deems noncompliant.

The webinar gave a step‑by‑step overview of the Teacher of the Year selection process and key dates. Brown said district nominations were due Dec. 23, that Part 1 of the application must be submitted by Feb. 3, 2025 by 11:59 p.m. to continue in the region selection process, and that Part 2 is due May 12, 2025. She said applicants should expect notification of region‑level semifinalists by April 1 and that statewide decisions about region finalists will be communicated in June.

Brown described the multi‑stage competition: “There is the school level. You then would compete at the district level. Then it comes to the region level, and then grand divisions, and then the state level.” She explained there are three grade bands (pre‑K/elementary, middle and high school) and that districts may define bands differently.

Former Tennessee Teachers of the Year joined the webinar to describe the role and benefits of participating. Morgan Rankin, the 2021–22 Tennessee Teacher of the Year and a second‑grade teacher at Southside Elementary School in Johnson City Schools, said the role expanded her professional network and public‑facing opportunities: “This is your chance to tell your students' stories. You are their voice.” Rankin said the national meetings administered by the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) were a key development opportunity and that the position opened doors to speaking and leadership opportunities she would not otherwise have had.

Missy Kesterman, the 2023–24 Tennessee Teacher of the Year and identified in the webinar as the 2024 National Teacher of the Year, urged applicants to complete the paperwork and to use the application to “toot your own horn.” She described the Teacher Advisory Council (TAC), a network for the top nine regional finalists, as a primary benefit: “You get to form this unbelievable network with other really strong teachers across the state,” Kesterman said, and noted TAC members sometimes give input at state board meetings.

Webinar hosts summarized Part 1 and Part 2 application contents. Brown said Part 1 includes basic demographics, three written responses and an optional up to three pages of supporting documentation. Part 2, provided to region semifinalists, adds two written responses, a professional resume, three letters of recommendation, a professional biography, a video response and a professional headshot. Brown advised applicants the headshot could be a yearbook photo if procuring a new photo is difficult.

Brown and the former winners offered practical advice for applicants: keep supporting documents simple (photos or an article link can suffice), be explicit about one’s role on team projects, and ask a colleague to prompt memories about accomplishments. Brown also said webinar recordings are posted after the department’s communications team processes them, typically taking about a week, and that she holds informal office hours on Mondays from 3:30–4:30 p.m. Central for follow‑up questions.

The webinar included logistics and outreach notes: districts may nominate up to three educators to region selection, there will be 27 region semifinalists and nine regional finalists, and the statewide scoring committee uses application and interview materials to select finalists and the Tennessee Teacher of the Year, who will represent Tennessee in the national program administered by CCSSO.

The session closed with reminders to submit Part 1 by Feb. 3, 2025 and Part 2 by May 12, 2025, attend the next webinar (listed in the session as Jan. 15) for more application guidance, and contact Brown via email or office hours with questions.