Delaware’s State Teacher of the Year urges more student voice, centered classroom practices

Shelby, Delaware’s 2025 State Teacher of the Year, told the State Board of Education she struggled with her own mental health and later cared for a parent, experiences she said shape her classroom approach. “I truly did not think I was gonna even make it to 30,” she said, recounting how those struggles inform her work creating “brave spaces” for students.

Shelby described classroom systems that elevate student identities and leadership: students write preferred names and post them on classroom walls, create children’s books in their primary languages, and use grounding techniques in daily check-ins. She credited several students by name and recounted that her classes produced public-speaking winners and original children’s literature in Spanish to reflect students’ home languages.

Board members and attendees praised the presentation and invited Shelby to participate in upcoming events. Juliette Morawski of the department and board members noted the presentation’s focus on inclusion and community engagement; one board member said Shelby’s presence at graduation—an invitation noted as a first for her Colonial School District—was “amazing.”

Why it matters: Shelby’s description of classroom practice offers concrete examples of how one teacher seeks to address student mental health, multilingual needs and identity affirmation in day-to-day instruction. Those classroom-level practices intersect with statewide priorities the board discussed elsewhere in the meeting, including literacy and early-childhood initiatives.

Shelby closed by encouraging educators, parents and board members to “be brave” and to create learning spaces in which students feel seen and empowered. The board thanked Shelby and moved on to the next agenda item.