Scott Noet, Owatonna Junior High School social studies teacher, is one of eleven teachers that are finalists for the Minnesota title “Teacher of the Year.” Making it this far is an amazing honor for Noet and the Owatonna School District. Noet won the title of “Teacher of the Year” for Owatonna in May  of 2016. Many students appreciate everything that Mr. Noet did for them at OJHS. The last Owatonna Finalist was Marica Anderson in 2009. Noet was asked a few questions about the process.

How many years have you been teaching and where?

“Sheesh, are you trying to make me feel old? This is my 20th year at OJHS, and my 22nd year overall with two years spent teaching in Wisconsin.”

What is your favorite thing about teaching?

“My favorite thing has to be the kids. If my answer wasn’t the kids I don’t think I’d still be teaching. 7th graders are quite an interesting group because they can be very mature one minute and just flat-out goofy the next with 20 other emotions mixed in there along the way. I also enjoy the immature humor, but we don’t need to talk about the OJHS staff at this point….”

What is your favorite teaching memory?

“There are several almost every day. On a macro-level I really enjoy seeing kids make connections to other classes or subjects when they see how things fit together. I also love getting those letters from former students in word processing class telling me that they can’t believe things they did and said in 7th grade or when former students stop by and update us on what they are doing now and have a laugh about the old junior high days.”
What does this honor mean to you?

“Overall, I find it incredibly humbling because there are so many dedicated, creative and hard-working teachers across the state and world who I couldn’t hope to hold a candle to.”

What was the selection process like?

“The selection process started with a nomination that was a result of being named the Owatonna Teacher of the Year. The process beyond that required two essays: one about my overall philosophy and one about an educational issue. Though it was difficult to shoehorn my whole philosophy into two pages, it forced me to think deeply and concisely about what I do and, essentially, who I am. I tried to have a little fun with the writing, and it seems that that was appreciated by the panel. I also had to make a video containing a statement about an educational issue when I reached the second round; a tall order for a guy with a face for radio and a voice tailor-made for print.”

Some of Mr. Noet’s students were asked about Mr. Noet and his teaching style. Mr. Noet is known as a fun teacher to have but also an effective instructor. Noet always has interactive and engaging ways to teach the material, which causes students to enjoy what they are learning. Senior Danika Brown said, “Mr. Noet makes learning fun and works well with every one of his students. My favorite part of his class was making egyptian pyramids, they were so fun!”  Freshman Hunter Huebbe said, “My favorite part about being in Mr. Noet’s class was all the jokes he told and the fun, laid-back atmosphere.”

Mr. Noet has worked with many students as a teacher and has been awarded the honor of being up for “Teacher of the Year”.  The ceremony will take place on May 7, at the Radisson Blu Mall of America in Bloomington. Good luck to Mr. Noet for this award and for his future as a teacher.