Honored to be your keynote speaker. Excited to share my story which is full of trauma, challenges, and failure. My past helped shaped who I am today. My story is who I am and I can't wait to inspire everyone with my story of struggle and redemption.

👏👏👏#NTOY23 Thank you President Donald J. Trump & First Lady Melania Trump for hosting the 2023 State Teachers of the Year today!

I would like thank the CCSSO and all of their sponsors for elevating, celebrating and advocating for teachers during Washington Week! May be all feel empowered to continue to elevate our profession and all of those who are part of it.

This weekend’s Nazi presence at a Watertown LGBTQ Pride event was a disgusting and direct attack on our state’s LGBTQ community, communities of color, and Jewish Wisconsinites. This is unacceptable and unwelcome in Wisconsin. Period.

We often hear and tell our students that “You can do hard things” as an affirmation. Agreed! But we also need to teach all the importance of supporting those who are trying to do hard things.

As adults, we too often ask students what they want to do when they grow up. As I start this new school year, I want to remember to focus on the “who” my students are now, vs the “what” they will do after they graduate.

Thank you, Sarah Brown Wessling , for sharing this Toni Morrison quote with teachers yesterday, as we start a new school year; “There are years that ask questions, and there are years that give answers.” May we all have the grace to accept both as experiences that will help us grow.

Rebecka Peterson, 2023 Teacher of the Year, shares ways to cultivate creativity in yourself and your students throughout the school year. Her first tip? To document one good thing that happens in the classroom everyday!