JARRETT GOODMAN
Staff Writer
Ashley Mosley of Jasper Elementary School has officially been named a Teacher of the Year finalist for the 2025-2026 statewide Teacher of the Year award.
A yearly award program hosted by the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE), this year’s program features nine separate finalists from across the state, with each representing the eight core areas of education from the Center of Regional Excellence (CORE) throughout Tennessee. Each teacher chosen as a finalist will be selected and announced during the state’s Excellence in Education Teacher of the Year Banquet in August next month.
The Teacher of the Year program was established to celebrate and promote the work and dedication teachers from across the state prioritize each school year, with teachers being nominated through five separate categories: region, district, school, grand division, and state throughout each grade from pre-k to high school. All mentioned levels are in reference to grades taught by each teacher and not for overall grade structure of each individual school. Teachers who are selected each year receive awards and recognition from their local Departments of Education and additional local sources, with the main Teacher of the Year winner serving as an ambassador for education within the state during each given school year to represent the state’s school system. Teachers are required to have a background of three years in full time teaching, as well as have a track record of prioritizing student learning and being an effective figure at school and the community.
All nine finalists, including Mosley, for this year’s Teacher of the Year program will also be given the opportunity to serve under the Tennessee Teacher Advisory Council during both the 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 school years. Especially to engage with state agencies and TDOE during both academic years. Interview rounds will be conducted with each of the nine finalists during the Teacher of the Year Banquet, as the countdown on who’s to become this year’s Teacher of the Year has officially begun.
