Minnesota’s 59th Teacher Of The Year:

St. Paul math teacher and football coach Michael Houston has been named the 2023 Minnesota Teacher of the Year. Houston was announced as the 59th recipient of the award during a banquet Sunday afternoon at the St. Paul RiverCentre. During the selection process, Houston said, he has been focused on creating community at Harding High School, which was rocked by a deadly stabbing this school year.

“Our students really needed love,” Houston said accepting the award, after so many students lost loved ones during the pandemic, and after a school year at Harding that has been marked by loss. Houston said he wants to use his platform as state teacher of the year to advocate for mental health, the recruitment and retention of teachers of color, and making instruction more relevant to students’ lives.