National Teacher of the Year to deliver keynote address at CEI fall in-service

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — The 2023 National Teacher of the Year will be the keynote speaker at the CEI fall semester Faculty and Staff In-service on Monday, August 14.

Rebecka Peterson will speak during the morning session of in-service at the Waterfront at Snake River Landing.

The Tulsa, Oklahoma high school math teacher was named the 2023 National Teacher of the Year by the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) in April of this year.

Peterson has taught high school math classes ranging from intermediate algebra to Advanced Placement calculus for 11 years at Union High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma. A proud immigrant of Swedish-Iranian descent, Peterson is passionate about making mathematics engaging, relevant and accessible to all students, no matter their background.

Amid a difficult first year of high school teaching, she found “One Good Thing,” a collaborative blog for teachers to track the good things happening in their classrooms. She credits daily posting there to helping her recognize the beautiful and positive experiences occurring in her classroom, which inspired her to stay in the profession. She has since contributed 1,400 posts to the blog. As Oklahoma Teacher of the Year, she has visited teachers across the state to highlight their important work through the Teachers of Oklahoma campaign.

As the 2023 National Teacher of the Year, Peterson will spend this year representing educators and serving as an ambassador for students and teachers across the nation. She plans to spend her year elevating teachers’ stories of the good happening in the classroom, in hope of both encouraging current teachers and attracting new educators to the profession. She believes when we take the time to learn each other’s stories, we are more open to searching for the places where our values intersect.