Teaching Advice from 7 2026 State Teachers of the Year
| by Alex Skov
What does it take to be a great educator? The 2026 State Teachers of the Year have some insight.
These award-winning teachers bring decades of combined classroom experience and advice on building student relationships, handling challenges, and creating learning environments where every child can thrive. From elementary special education to high school career and technical education, their perspectives span grade levels and specialties, but their main message remains consistent: great teaching starts with caring deeply about students as people.
Whether you’re a new teacher finding your footing or a veteran educator looking for fresh inspiration, their practical wisdom offers valuable guidance for navigating the modern education landscape.
Build a Foundation of Safety for Students
Creating a classroom where students feel safe enough to take risks is the foundation of effective teaching. When Tiffani Jaseph — an elementary special education teacher — appeared on the Front of the Class podcast, she emphasized that meeting students’ social-emotional needs comes before academics.
“Our job is to make sure their needs are met and that families know when they drop off their child to us that they’re safe and that they’re loved and that they’re cared for,” she explained.
Arizona’s 2026 Teacher of the Year, Jaseph has worked with some students for up to 6 years, building deep, lasting bonds — something that teachers can start developing with students during their first day in the classroom.
Frannie Tunseth follows a similar philosophy that prioritizes getting to know students as people before getting to know them as learners. She invests time at the beginning of each school year understanding her students’ interests, personalities, and preferences so she can incorporate these elements into lessons. This can be challenging, especially if students share traumatic stories from their past, but this approach ultimately creates the trust needed for students to accept feedback and take academic risks.
“My number one advice, especially for new teachers, is you need to take care of you, too, because you can take a lot on and you feel so deeply about these students that you can go home and it can be really hard to take off the teaching hat and be a human being, the 2026 North Dakota Teacher of the Year shared on Front of the Class, “but you have to take care of you, too, because you can’t pour for an empty cup.”
Make Connections, Find Mentors, and Network
Building strong connections requires intentionality and creativity. Jaseph shares her personal phone number with parents and communicates informally, making herself accessible when families need support or have questions. This openness creates partnerships where parents feel comfortable being honest about challenges at home.
Similarly, Ali Snabon-Jun — a music educator who won Nevada’s 2026 Teacher of the Year title — emphasizes creating an “educational family” that can lend you support and open the door to new opportunities. She’s maintained a working relationship with the same principal for 13 years, demonstrating how long-term professional partnerships support teacher growth and school culture.
“Las Vegas opens up a lot of schools pretty often, and my principal was asked to open [a new] school and he asked if I would go with him knowing that that is a huge undertaking. I would have to re-establish from the ground up a music program,” Snabon-Jun told Front of the Class, “but luckily he’s asked me to do that 3 different times.”
Driving good outcomes not only resonates with administrators; it’s also an important factor to students.
“If your kids aren’t having fun, you’ve already lost them…so have fun, be you,” Snabon-Jun said. “Invite them in, show those results.”
Have Difficult Conversations
No matter how much fun is in your classroom, even the best teachers face difficult days. What sets great educators apart is how they handle these challenges. After particularly tough days, Jaseph asks her aides if they noticed anything she could have done better, creating a learning opportunity for everyone and a chance to improve in the future.
When there is conflict in her classroom, Snabon-Jun creates space for honest conversations where everyone involved can be heard. This transparency builds trust and teaches students valuable communication skills.
One of Wisconsin’s 2026 Teachers of the Year, Toni Fink, notes that it’s important for educators to remember that compliance isn’t the same thing as understanding when it comes to dealing with students, especially those from high-risk backgrounds.
“Sometimes as teachers, we feel control and compliance is how students show their respect and care for us. And when they’re not compliant or we feel we’re not in control, we [take it] personally, like ‘They don’t see how valuable I am as their teacher and they’re not complying,’” Fink said on Front of the Class. “We have to understand compliance is nothing more than compliance. It’s not necessarily a sign of anything more. And when we’re asking kids who have challenges, that compliance piece is not a factor for them. Their brains don’t work that way. It’s not about compliance, and, in fact, they tend to be hyper aware of how they’re letting people down around them because they know it’s not within their control.”
When addressing behavioral issues, Fink takes time to explain why certain behaviors don’t work in the classroom, school, or society to help students understand the situation wholly rather than simply enforcing rules.
Make a Place for Innovation and Magic in Your Classroom and Your Career
2026 New Hampshire Teacher of the Year Megan Philbrook’s personal mantra is “make learning magical,” which she does by emphasizing active learning through simulations and reenactments that bring history to life for her students. But plenty of work goes into making engaging lessons happen. Philbrook spends time researching and scrolling hashtags on social media for new techniques she can apply in the classroom to take her lessons to the next level. She took a similar approach to her career growth as a new teacher, finding teaching toolkits and resources specific to her state online.
“It’s simple to do in your spare moments,” she noted on Front of the Class. “I think that as educators, we are always curious and we always want to be educated ourselves, so I think a part of our professional development has to be a lot of seeking and figuring out what is out there… What I do constantly is just a simple Google search. You don’t know how many resources your state has until you try and figure out what they are.”
The ideas don’t always have to be state-specific, either. Every March, Sarah Dully engages her high school students with March Madness-style bracket activity inspired by the annual NCAA basketball tournament, letting students compare things like ice cream flavors or movies before a champion is crowned with a year-end taste test or film screening.
As Rhode Island’s 2026 teacher of the year, Dully also asks her students to share a piece of advice with her in their year-end written reflections — feedback she uses to tailor content, lessons, and her instructional practice going forward as part of an open communication process that she encourages all teachers to incorporate into their careers. Beyond that, she also offered more straightforward advice during a recent podcast appearance.
“Don’t be afraid to ask for help,” Dully said, “and then the second thing I would say is find your go-to people.”
Pursue Professional Growth and Center Authenticity
The best teachers never stop learning. 2026 Delaware State Teacher of the Year Jenna DiEleuterio earned her doctorate because she genuinely loves the learning process. While pursuing an advanced degree was an obvious choice for her, she encourages other teachers to take a thorough, thoughtful approach to everything they do.
“Slow down and connect — connect to yourself, connect to your students, connect to those around you, because that’s where you’re going to find answers. When you dig deep and you think about why you’re there and what your purpose is, and then you think about how you are connecting with your students and if you’re connecting with your students,” she said on Front of the Class. “Sometimes we get lost in the structure of the day; the schedule just keeps going. And sometimes we [need to] give ourselves a little grace and flexibility.”
Why Teaching is a Fulfilling Career
The teaching profession demands your heart, energy, and emotional bandwidth. But as these award-winning teachers know all too well, the rewards of the profession — like watching students grow, celebrating unexpected breakthroughs, and knowing you’ve made a lasting difference — make it all worthwhile.
Ready to start your own teaching journey or take your teaching career to the next level? Moreland is here to help. Apply for free to our 100% online 9-month TEACH-NOW Teacher Certificate Preparation Program or one of our 12-month master’s degree programs today. It takes less than 15 minutes to complete the application and take an important step toward achieving your next career goal.
