‘This is a community award’: Melissa Oberg celebrates 2024 National Rural Teacher of the Year award

A special education teacher from Cook County Schools has gained national recognition after being named the 2024 National Rural Teacher of the Year.

On Sept. 4, Melissa Oberg, a special education teacher at ISD 166, shared the exciting news that she was honored as the 2024 National Rural Teacher of the Year, awarded by the National Rural Education Association.

“It’s definitely humbling,” Oberg said. “It’s an honor. It’s a true honor.”

In Nov. 2023, Oberg was one of four teachers who received an Educators of Excellence award during the annual Minnesota Rural Education Association (MREA) conference in Brainerd. The award ceremony celebrates and showcases the incredible work happening in the Greater Minnesota school districts. The MREA Board of Directors selects one of the four Educators of Excellence to nominate for the National Rural Teacher of the Year award. Oberg was chosen as the 2024 National Rural Teacher of the Year candidate.

“I think I’m the luckiest teacher around,” said Oberg. “I’m super thankful and blessed to be here in this position and working with these incredible kids.”

Although Oberg is recognized as National Rural Teacher of the Year, she said she is not the only one to win this award.

“This is a community award,” said Oberg. “I did not do this alone. From the moment I stepped foot in this community, I was supported as an educator, I was supported as a person.”

She said, “This community believes in education, and this community believes in its kids, and it’s really, it’s empowering to be sitting here, yeah, I can hold this torch. I can lead the way.”

She will be honored with the award during the National Rural Education Association’s National Forum to Advance Rural Education in Savannah, GA, between Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, 2024. 

WTIP spoke with Melissa Oberg following the 2024 National Rural Teacher of the Year announcement. The audio from the interview is below.

Video of Melissa Oberg below. 

Kalli Hawkins September 10, 2024