Washburn High School's Tracy Byrd is Minnesota's 2024 Teacher of the Year

Minnesota's 2024 Teacher of the Year is an educator who started his post-education career in a different line of work.

Tracy Byrd left the financial field in 2008 to work in the Wayzata School District. After getting his teaching degree, he returned to his alma mater, Washburn High School in south Minneapolis.

"You've just got to find something that makes you happy," says Byrd who spoke to Steve Simpson on the WCCO Morning News . "And teaching does that for me. The kids, I love being around the kids. The energy that they give to me, there's nothing else I'd rather do."

Byrd is a 9th-grade English language arts teacher at Washburn, and he now works with some teachers who taught him. He joked with Simpson that it's hard to call his old teachers by their first names.

"It feels really good," says Byrd. "That last school I worked at, a lot of their teachers were graduates of that school. And I kind of thought, that would be really cool to teach in the building that you walked the halls. So when I had that opportunity presented to me to do that, it was a no-brainer. I'm like, I'm in."

Byrd is the 60th recipient of the Minnesota Teacher of the Year contest, and fourth from Minneapolis Public Schools.

A selection panel representing Minnesota leaders in education, business and government chooses the Minnesota Teacher of the Year from individuals who are nominated and who then choose to become a candidate. Panelists review candidate portfolios, review video submissions of semifinalists and interview finalists in person.

The Minnesota Teacher of the Year represents the profession as an advocate for education and spokesperson for teachers. The Minnesota Teacher of the Year makes presentations, meets with policymakers and attends frequent meetings.