Sonnesyn Elementary teacher among 30 Minnesota Teacher of the Year semifinalists

Sonnesyn Elementary School EL teacher Ann St. Clair is one of 30 semifinalists for this year’s Minnesota Teacher of the Year honor. A selection panel of 24 community leaders chose the semifinalists from an initial field of 123 candidates from across the state.

“I am absolutely honored to represent Robbinsdale as a semifinalist for Minnesota Teacher of the Year,” St. Clair said. “As a former instructional coach and current EL teacher, I have had the opportunity to work closely with many talented colleagues and have learned so much from them. Each educator that I have coached or co-taught with has left a mark on me and has improved my practice in some way.”

St. Clair teaches students in kindergarten through second grade, and has been with the district for 15 years. In her current role, she co-teaches in six primary classrooms each day.

“I love my job, and each day I get to work with passionate educators and students who are excited about learning,” she said. “I continue to be amazed at what students are able to do when high expectations are in place and instruction meets their needs. When I see students make incredible gains, I am so proud of the work that we - families, teachers and students - do together. It’s the reason why I teach!”

The panel will meet again in late March to select about 10 finalists from among the group of semifinalists. The current Minnesota Teacher of the Year, Tom Rademacher, will announce his successor at a banquet May 3 at the Radisson Blu Mall of America in Bloomington.

Education Minnesota, the 70,000-member statewide educators union, organizes and underwrites the Teacher of the Year program. Candidates include pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade teachers from public or private schools.