On behalf of the Oregon Department of Education, Southern Oregon Education Service District (SOESD) is proud to announce the selection of Erin Green as a 2023 Oregon Regional Teacher of the Year. Ms. Green will be honored at an invitation-only reception at Southern Oregon ESD on Monday, September 12, 2022, and will be awarded a check for $500 from the Oregon Lottery.
SOESD convened a Blue-Ribbon Panel made up of diverse and unbiased panel members who represented the geographic region of Jackson, Josephine, and Klamath counties. The panel, who reviewed several applications from a larger set of nominations, found that Ms. Green had the highest average rubric score of all candidates. The panelists made these observations about Ms. Green during their deliberations:
- strong lesson development
- reflective practice
- strong collaboration with peers
- strong community involvement
- focus on restorative practices
- integrated, whole-person philosophy
- strong cross-curricular integration
The Oregon Teacher of the Year Program started in 1955 and is managed by the Oregon Department of Education. Anyone can nominate a candidate for the recognition, but teachers may not nominate themselves. Once selected, the Oregon Teacher of the Year is also a candidate to apply for the National Teacher of the Year recognition. The selected teacher serves as the face and voice of exemplary educators across the state of Oregon and engages and inspires other teachers and community leaders as a representative of the profession.
The Oregon Department of Education chose in 2018-19 to expand the selection process for the nominees. The goal of the expansion is to honor teachers in every region of the state. Education Service Districts across Oregon reviewed applications submitted from their geographic region and facilitated a Blue-Ribbon Panel and review process to identify winners in their regions. These regional winners will go on to be considered for Oregon Teacher of the Year, which will be decided in September.
SOESD is proud of the amazing teachers in our three-county region, exemplified by Ms. Green, who are focused on improving experiences and outcomes and increasing safety, significance, and belonging for students, families and our community.