REGIONAL- From her successful pageantry exploits, North Woods art teacher Rachel Betterley is certainly accustomed to large crowds, but on Sunday the setting was a bit different.
Hundreds of educators, families and friends of the 11 finalists for Minnesota Teacher of the Year, including Betterley, were packed into the ballrooms at Saint Paul Rivercentre in the state capital impatiently enduring the banquet luncheon and all the requisite speeches and videos as they waited to hear the announcement of the winner.
Making the cut to 11 from the 159 original nominees, the finalists met as a group for the first time on Saturday as they each had 30-minute interviews with the selection committee. Meeting her fellow finalists was something Betterley described as “kind of surreal.”
“It’s because you can feel their passion when they come into the room – you feel this energy and you feel motivated because you know these teachers are really great at what they do,” Betterley said. “Being around these educators who have so many accomplishments, you just feel really empowered to be in that same room, because yes, I’m here, too, and I’ve done some pretty great things as well. It’s just a really cool thing and we built really great camaraderie.”
On Sunday morning it was time for group photos at the historic St. Paul Hotel, and then the candidates were whisked away to Saint Paul Rivercentre for a meet and greet with families, friends and supporters prior to the 1 p.m. banquet.
By virtue of the alphabet, Betterley was always first in videos and comments highlighting each individual finalist during the program, and she took it all in stride, clearly happy to be included in the mix as she enthusiastically applauded her fellow finalists.
When 2023 Teacher of the Year Michael Houston stepped to the podium a second time, he was there to announce the winner, who was Tracy Byrd, an English Language Arts teacher from Washburn High School in Minneapolis. Betterley quickly rushed over to Byrd with congratulations and to take a picture with him and other finalists. There was nothing but smiles all around.
“I’m so thrilled for Tracy,” Betterley said after the ceremony. “And I know I’m going to continue talking to these people. We already have a group chat going on. I’m just thrilled and honored.”
Betterley also noted an honor that was uniquely her own. She was the only finalist from Greater Minnesota – all the others hailed from Twin Cities-area schools. And along with pride came a sense of responsibility.
“I would love to see more rural teachers nominated,” Betterley said. “We’ve got to get our voice out there. We need to share more accomplishments from where we live and not be afraid to shine a light on that because we are great, too. I want to pave the way for that. It’s up to anyone who wants to nominate a teacher who’s doing great things, so let’s do it. Let’s make it happen and get more people on that stage. It should not just be me.”
Betterley was still taking it all in as the ballroom emptied rapidly.
“It’s almost like I’m not processing it yet,” she said. “On my long drive home, I’m going to finally process it, and I’m so thankful for the experience. I recommend it to anyone who ever gets nominated.”