How the 2025 Ohio Teacher of the Year rediscovered her passion for teaching
Twinsburg High School teacher Daneé Pinckney says she knew she wanted to be a teacher ever since she was a small child, but it wasn't that long ago that she found herself at a burnout point in her career and was considering leaving the profession. Starting an African American literature course for her students and empowering them to be engaged citizens helped reignite her passion. Now, as the 2025 Ohio Teacher of the Year, Pinckney is hoping to help other educators find their passion again while shining a spotlight on what they need to succeed for their students.
LEARN MORE ABOUT DANEÉ PICKNEY'S PATH TO HER EDUCATION CAREER | Click here to read the 2025 Ohio Teacher of the Year's story on the Ohio State Board of Education site.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE DISTRICT TEACHERS OF THE YEAR | The State Board of Education selects the Ohio Teacher of the Year from among the State Board District Teachers of the Year, all of whom are OEA members this year. Click here to learn more about each of these outstanding educators!
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LEARN MORE ABOUT DANEÉ PICKNEY'S PATH TO HER EDUCATION CAREER | Click here to read the 2025 Ohio Teacher of the Year's story on the Ohio State Board of Education site.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE DISTRICT TEACHERS OF THE YEAR | The State Board of Education selects the Ohio Teacher of the Year from among the State Board District Teachers of the Year, all of whom are OEA members this year. Click here to learn more about each of these outstanding educators!
SUBSCRIBE | Click here to subscribe to Public Education Matters on Apple Podcasts or click here to listen on Spotify so you don't miss a thing. You can also find Public Education Matters on many other platforms, including YouTube. Click here for links for other platforms so you can listen anywhere. And don't forget you can listen to all of the previous episodes anytime on your favorite podcast platform, or by clicking here.
Featured Public Education Matters guest:
- Daneé Pinckney, Twinsburg Education Association member
- Daneé Pinckney began teaching in Columbus, Ohio after graduating from The Ohio State University. There Pinckney earned her Bachelor of Arts and Sciences in Middle Childhood Education. Later, she realized her passions were more suited to high school, and received her Ohio English K-12 Certification before earning a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction: Educational Technology from Ashland University.
- Pinckney, currently, teaches 11th and 12th-grade English at Twinsburg High School in Twinsburg, Ohio. Here, she makes a point to constantly search for new opportunities to challenge herself professionally and personally, as evidenced by her creating a senior-level course on African American Literature. The course addressed a need for representation sought by both students and community members. She obtained grant funding to support its implementation enriching educational experiences for all.
- Using literature as the anchor, she works to encourage students’ engagement in community service and activism projects instilling in them a sense of social responsibility and civic engagement. She believes students can change the world “right here and right now.” Believing this to be true, her students most recently collaborated with students in Ghana and led a community fundraiser building global community and empathy.
- Pinckney's dedication to pursuing personal growth as an educator has earned her recognition as the 2025 Ohio Teacher of the Year, a Master Teacher Finalist by the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation, and accolades such as the 2023 Twinsburg City Schools Teacher of the Year, and a 2023 Fund for Teachers Fellow.
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About us:
- The Ohio Education Association represents nearly 120,000 teachers, faculty members and support professionals who work in Ohio’s schools, colleges, and universities to help improve public education and the lives of Ohio’s children. OEA members provide professional services to benefit students, schools, and the public in virtually every position needed to run Ohio’s schools.
- Public Education Matters host Katie Olmsted serves as Media Relations Consultant for the Ohio Education Association. She joined OEA in May 2020, after a ten-year career as an Emmy Award winning television reporter, anchor, and producer. Katie comes from a family of educators and is passionate about telling educators' stories and advocating for Ohio's students. She lives in Central Ohio with her husband and two young children.
This episode was recorded on September 30, 2024.
