The National Teacher of the Year Program, a project of the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), focuses public attention on teaching excellence and is the oldest and most prestigious awards program for teachers.

Each year, the Pearson Foundation hosts a special day-long workshop for Teachers of the Year in New York City, where they are asked to conceive, perform, and edit a short statement called “Why I Teach.”

The resulting videos are special, personal statements that demonstrate clearly and poignantly why these teachers were celebrated by their students, their states, and the CCSSO National Teacher of the Year Program.

Congratulations to them all.