Jena Nelson, a middle school teacher from Deer Creek Middle School, is the 2020 Oklahoma Teacher of the Year. She teaches 7th and 8th grade English composition and academic enhancement.
Nelson was announced the winner on Tuesday during a ceremony at the Oklahoma State Fair.
“Jena’s passion for teaching and her dedication to her students show in everything she does,” State Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister said. “She uses her past experiences to go beyond the curriculum and create nurturing relationships with the children in her classroom, and that shows in the tremendous difference she’s made in the lives of her students.”
Nelson has been teaching for 14 years and became an educator because of past childhood traumas.
“To say that I didn’t have a great home life would be an understatement. I was very much like some of the students we see today in our classroom. I was angry. I lashed out. I was defiant. I very much wanted a place to feel safe and cared for outside of my trauma-filled home, and I found that place in school,” Nelson said. “I have done things that I never imagined, and it’s all because teachers believed in me. That is why I am in the classroom today. I’m here to give what was given to me – a chance.”
Nelson was chosen among 12 finalists. She’ll stay in the classroom while performing her duties as Oklahoma Teacher of the Year.
