A sixth-grade teacher from Stillwater is the new Minnesota Teacher of the Year.
Education Minnesota, the state teachers union, announced Tuesday that Derek Olson earned the award.
He was a finalist for the honor this spring when Carleen Gulstad of Hopkins was selected. She resigned the title for personal reasons.
Olson has 18 years of classroom teaching experience, split between the St. Louis Park and Stillwater school districts. Olson says he doesn't view the award as a feather in his cap, but an extra layer of responsibility to be an ambassador for public education.
The Teacher of the Year serves as a spokesperson for teachers and teaching in Minnesota, and will be Minnesota's nominee for National Teacher of the Year for 2009.
