2024 Teacher of the Year recipient Tracy Byrd imparts life lessons on the field and classroom

Looking back on his upbringing, Tracy Byrd could never imagine becoming a teacher, let alone being recognized by his colleagues and peers at such a high level. 

Growing up in South Minneapolis on 48th St and Columbus Ave, Byrd spent a majority of his adolescence playing football at McRae Park. When it came time to think about what he wanted to do after high school, a career in education was far from his mind. 

“I looked at the teachers as well—they’re the ones that know everything,” he said. Byrd had seen his teachers as omnipotent and all-knowing, and that sort of pressure to always be right wasn’t something he sought out. 

“They know everything because their job is to teach people, and if they get it wrong, then they’re teaching people the wrong stuff.”

After graduating from Washburn High School in 1989, Byrd attended the University of North Dakota, where he joined the football program. His teammate, Neville Scarlett, who was studying to be a physical education teacher, encouraged him to also consider teaching. 

Up until that point he hadn’t given it much thought, but it planted the seed that would further lead to him becoming the 2024 Teacher of the Year. 

Byrd is the 60th recipient of the prestigious award, and the third from Minneapolis Public Schools to be named Minnesota Teacher of the Year. 

The awardee is selected through an independent committee representing Minnesota leaders in education, business and government that chooses the Teacher of the Year from individuals who are nominated and who then choose to become a candidate. Education Minnesota, the 84,000-member statewide educators union, organizes and underwrites the Teacher of the Year program.

Prior to his career as a teacher, Byrd coached football and track and field for several years, using his time on the field to impart important life lessons to his student-athletes. “Sports is the microcosm of life,” he said. “There are going to be people that you don’t know that you have to work with, people that you don’t like that you have to work with. You can’t always be by yourself.”

Whether it’s in the classroom or on the field, Byrd encouraged his students to always be in the game and constantly move forward toward their goals. Byrd’s advice to his students is informed by his own life experience that has taken him in several different directions. 

His time at the University of North Dakota didn’t work out, but he was still determined to finish school. In 1994, he enrolled at Normandale Community College, but that also eventually came to an end. 

After leaving a career in finance, he took a position with Wayzata Public Schools as a hall supervisor and coached their football and track and field teams. Rhonda Dean, an administrator at the school, had made it her mission to see Byrd become a teacher. 

In an almost daily occurrence, she would check in with him to see if he had enrolled in any teaching programs. “She was not going to take no for an answer,” he said laughing. 

In 2011, after completing courses at Minneapolis Community and Technical College, Byrd walked across the stage with his degree. He would later finish his studies at Metro State University in 2017, when he received his teaching credentials. 

It was important for Byrd to share these milestones with his family, especially his son, to see him reach his goals. “I walk across the stage at MCTC and I’ve got my son. He’s probably eight at the time. I’m the first in my family to walk across the stage, so I want him to see and be a part of the pageantry,” he said.

Shortly after graduating, Byrd returned to his alma mater at Washburn High School, where he currently teaches ninth-grade English and coaches track and field. 

Despite all the years of work that led up to his career in education, nothing could have prepared Byrd for the news that he had been nominated for the Teacher of the Year award. “When I got the email saying that I had been nominated, the first thing I did was close my Chromebook, because I was like, ‘This isn’t real,’” he said. 

Byrd had aspired to be the best teacher on his floor and maybe the building but never imagined being recognized at such a level. The recognition from his peers helped reinforce that he was on the right track. 

“God doesn’t call the equipped who can already do the job, because that’s not Him,” Byrd said. “He’s going to call somebody that can’t do the job so they can say, look at what I’m doing through Him.”

Byrd was nominated for the award by his colleague at Washburn, Katie Murphy-Olsen, who described Byrd as the “epitome of excellence and integrity in public education.” The two work closely together in developing curriculums for their students. 

While Byrd is grateful for the award, he shared that the recognition won’t change what he does. “I’m still going to be me. I’m still the one demanding that their homework is the best representation of themselves,” he said. “At the same time, I know the gravity of this acknowledgement.”

Byrd expressed his gratitude for the award coming at a time where there is still a need for more diverse teachers in the classroom and he knows the significance behind his winning. For him, teaching brings the opportunity to pass on knowledge, not only to his students, but also to other Black and brown teachers who hope to make an impact.