As a young girl, Rebecka Peterson felt like a fish out of water when she immigrated from her native Sweden to Oklahoma with her parents. But there was one thing that helped to keep her grounded as she settled into her new home in the United States — math.
“Math is so universal. It was something I could really grab on to at an early age,” Peterson said. “That security blanket transformed into a cape. It became my superpower.”
Peterson’s love of numbers along with her multicultural background led her to find her calling as a mathematics teacher who strives to create a sense of belonging for her students. And her superpower propelled her to the honor of being chosen as the 2023 National Teacher of the Year.
For more than 70 years, the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) identifies and recognizes exemplary teachers from each state, U.S. extra-state territories, the District of Columbia and the Department of Defense Education Activity, through the National Teacher of the Year Program. CCSSO selects State Teachers of the Year, and from that group, the National Teacher of the Year is chosen by a selection committee composed of 17 individuals and education organizations, including National PTA president Anna King.
“Teachers helped tether me and showed me I did belong,” said Peterson, who arrived in the U.S. with her Iranian father and Swedish mother. Those classroom angels gave her a sense of safety and place, a gift that she wants to give to many of her students who, like her, are immigrants and first-generation Americans. Peterson said her untethering experience as a child now tethers her to those young people. “It’s beautiful to reflect on how full circle my teaching journey has been for me.”
The Selection Committee said in a statement: “Rebecka is a caring and passionate educator who understands the importance of connections and providing individual support for students, both in her math classes and beyond. She has a deep knowledge of both education policy and teaching practices and understands that sustained change at a small scale can make a big difference for students.”
Passing on the passion
A product of homeschooling as well as private schools, Peterson moved around a lot as a kid. She became a U.S. citizen at age 20 and pursued her passion for math at Oklahoma Wesleyan University and the University of South Dakota, where she received her master’s degree in mathematics. Now in her 15th year as an educator, Peterson started her teaching career at a community college but switched to high school after accepting an offer of a full-time job at Union High School in Tulsa, where she’s been for a decade.
She credits her father with instilling a passion for numbers, patterns and problem-solving. “He made math fun. He could see numbers everywhere,” she said. A middle school math and science teacher further affirmed her love for the subject.
Today, the married mother of a seven-year-old son (who also has the gift of math) inspires young people to embrace and love math, too. Eleven of her former students have become secondary STEM teachers and two are pursuing doctoral degrees to teach at the college level.
“Rebecka has changed the lives of countless students; she impacts all those around her and makes everyone better. She finds potential not only in our children, but in our teachers as well,” Oklahoma State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters said. “She represents Oklahoma’s future and reassures us all that the future is bright.”
One of her former students, Morgan Davis, now teaches algebra and calculus at Union High School with Peterson. “I always wanted to be a teacher, but never connected it to math till I had her,” Davis said, adding that Peterson gave her confidence to pursue math as career. “She set a great example of the kind I teacher I wanted to be. She made the career very exciting.”
While Peterson doesn’t assume that former students are following in her footsteps because of her influence, she does admit that they and current students inspire her to bring her very best to the classroom every day. “It inspires me to enter my work with deep intentionality, joy and passion,” she said.
Connecting through stories
One of Peterson’s guiding principles is to purposely connect with each of her students. To accomplish that, she strives to create a culture of personal story sharing. She believes that when we take the time to learn each other’s stories, we are more open to searching for the places where our values intersect.
“Everyone has a powerful story to share – listening to the stories of my students, and those of my fellow educators across Oklahoma, has helped me grow personally and professionally,” Peterson said. “I believe that listening to one story after another has an exponential positive impact.”
She has found that teens are hungry for an adult to give them their time and space. So, the self-proclaimed story collector invites students to sign up for an hour before or after school or at lunch time to share their story with her — and she shares hers.
“When you take time to learn others’ stories, grace just permeates,” she said. “When we value our students’ stories, we value their dignity. Trust is built.”
As the 2023 National Teacher of the Year, Peterson will participate in professional learning. She will also amplify her voice, representing educators and serving as an ambassador for students and teachers across the nation. She plans to spend her year elevating teachers’ stories of the good happening in the classroom, in hopes of both encouraging current teachers and attracting new educators to the profession.
“Despite the challenges of the past few years, joyful, innovative learning is taking place in classrooms across the country every day. I look forward to the new ways Rebecka will help shine a light on the stories of good things happening in our schools,” said CCSSO Chief Executive Officer Carissa Moffat Miller.
“We know people across the country will connect with the stories she shares as the 2023 National Teacher of the Year,” said the Selection Committee in a statement.
Practicing Gratitude
Peterson loves what’s she does, but that wasn’t always the case. Her transition from college to high school instruction was a tough one, so much so that she considered throwing in the towel during her first two years at Union. But one discovery turned things around for her: a blog that she discovered called One Good Thing, written by a community of math teachers, that helped her to reflect daily on at least one good happening — “the small, everyday beautiful moments that I hadn’t been paying attention to,” she said.
Peterson said the blog jolted her out of a downward spiral. She began to write for it and finally realized that she didn’t want to leave the job. Instead of focusing on the negative, she started to practice gratitude. “Joy is our rebellion,” she said.
“Rebecka Peterson has inspired our children in the classroom — but we all know that her work is not done yet, and she will inspire millions of others in her very young but distinct career,” added Walters. “On behalf of all of Oklahoma, we are proud to call her our own.”
Peterson is honored to be named National Teacher of the Year and does not take lightly the opportunity to travel and connect with colleagues across the country.
“I want to be a mirror. I hope there’s a part of me or my story that resonates with teachers,” she said. “Mirrors reflects light. I want to reflect the light and the stories of teachers.
“This work is really hard, but it’s really beautiful.”
