Kelly D. Holstine

Kelly D. Holstine (born 17 December 1973) is an Adjunct Professor at Augsburg University. She was formerly an English teacher at the Tokata Learning Center, an alternative high school in Shakopee, Minnesota. She was named the 2018 Minnesota Teacher of the Year by Education Minnesota.[1]

Kelly D. Holstine
2018 Minnesota Teacher of the Year
Born (1973-12-17) 17 December 1973
Minneapolis, Minnesota
OccupationAdjunct Professor at Augsburg University, Intersectional Equity Consultant, Speaker, Writer

Biography

Early life

Holstine is a native of Fairmont, Minnesota, graduating from Fairmont Public Schools in 1992. Among other influential teachers, Holstine credits Paula Thiede, her fifth-grade teacher at Lincoln Elementary School, for making her feel like she mattered, that she was intelligent and loved, and inspired her personal teaching philosophy of "Every Heart Matters."[2]

College

After receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from the University of Massachusetts, she worked at print and television media outlets before turning to social work as a case manager for students who dropped out of high school. She received her teaching license in 2007 and her master's degree in 2011, both from Augsburg College in Minneapolis, Minnesota[3]

Teaching career

Holstine taught Communication Arts & Literature courses (English), advised Gender Sexuality Alliances, and facilitated Link Crew Programs at Chaska High School in Chaska, Minnesota, and St. Anthony Village High School in St. Anthony, Minnesota, before becoming a founding member of Tokata Learning Center. There she taught Communication Arts & Literature courses (English) to 9-12th graders, was a Curriculum Writer for the Success for the Future Grant, and was the advisor for the MAAP Stars student leadership program.[4] [5] Tokata Learning Center is an alternative high school that serves grades 9-12 in Shakopee and surrounding areas.[6] In her Teacher of the Year application, Holstine wrote this about her students at Tokata: "It is true that our population can consist of students with varying abilities and temperaments, but these same students are also some of the most creative and brilliant humans with whom I have ever worked. And, without fail, the students who arrive angry, sad, hurt, and/or scared reveal their vulnerability, brilliance, and beautiful selves when they feel safe and valued." Soon after being named Minnesota Teacher of the Year, Holstine left the teaching profession in pursuit of other opportunities. [7]

Teacher of the Year

In the Fall of 2017 Holstine was nominated by Shakopee Public Schools professional learning coordinator Annie Rients and Tokata Learning Center principal Eric Serbus for Education Minnesota's Minnesota Teacher of the Year award, one of 167 candidates nominated across the state.[8] She was among 43 semifinalists and 12 finalists. She was named Minnesota Teacher of the Year on May 6, 2018. Holstine is the first openly gay teacher to be named Minnesota Teacher of the Year. She is the 54th recipient of the award and the first from the Shakopee district. [9]

In one of Holstine's responses posed by the Education Minnesota panel, she explained her teaching practice: I chose to be a teacher at a non-traditional age. Ten years later, my teaching practice still strongly matches this philosophy: teaching individuals to effectively solve problems, allowing students to learn by doing, giving students an active role in the learning process, and valuing the process of learning more than the outcome, respecting the whole of the child and creating a ‘community of learners’ – as opposed to a collection of discrete individuals.[10]

As the 2018 award winner, in 2019 Holstine was Minnesota's representative for the National Teacher of the Year program in Washington, D.C.[11] She chose not to attend to protest the policies of President Donald Trump, saying those policies frequently hurt her students who face discrimination.[12]

Holstine chose to kneel during the national anthem at the NCAA football championship game on January 13, 2020, as a way to "stand up for marginalized and oppressed people."[13] Holstine explained her reasons for kneeling in an article published in The Independent[14] and in her TED-Ed Talk.[15]

OutFront Minnesota

On July 8, 2019 OutFront Minnesota announced Holstine had been hired as the LGBTQ+ civil rights group's Director of Educational Equity [16] On June 26, 2020, Holstine resigned from OutFront MN.

Awards
  • 2018 Minnesota Teacher of the Year [17]
  • 2018 Minnesota Women Breaking Barriers Winter Honoree [18]
  • 2019 MN Lynx Women’s Spotlight Selection for Leader and Innovator in Arts and Education [19]
  • 2019 MN Women’s Press Favorite Leader in Education [20]
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References
  1. "Now Minnesota's teacher of the year, Shakopee instructor wants to show 'every kid matters'" (May 7, 2018). . Minneapolis Star Tribune
  2. "Minnesota teachers share stories of the teachers who energized them" (May 10, 2018). . Minnesota Public Radio News
  3. "Teacher of the Year: Fairmont native wins honor" (May 12, 2018). . Fairmont Sentinel
  4. "Minnesota’s Teacher Of The Year Wants ‘At-Risk’ Students To Feel Seen" (May 7, 2018). . WCCO CBS Minnesota
  5. "Minnesota Teacher of the Year's philosophy? Compassionate relationships" (May 11, 2018). . Shakopee Valley News
  6. "Minnesota's top teacher is from Shakopee" (May 6, 2018). . KARE 11 News
  7. "The first openly LGBTQ Minnesota Teacher of the Year joins OutFront" (July 8, 2019) . OutFront MN
  8. "A Most Colorful Classroom" (June 21, 2018). . Lavender Magazine
  9. "Shakopee educator named 2018 Minnesota Teacher of the Year" (May 7, 2018). . Minnesota Public Radio News
  10. "Shakopee teacher named Minnesota Teacher of the Year" (May 6, 2018). . KMSP-TV Fox 9 News
  11. "Holstine: Every kid matters" (Aug. 29, 2018). . Fairmont Sentinel
  12. "Minnesota state teacher of the year skips White House ceremony" (April 30, 2019). . St. Paul Pioneer-Press
  13. Neumann, Sean (17 January 2020). "'Teacher of the Year' Explains Why She Knelt During the National Anthem at College Football Championship". People. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  14. Holstine, Kelly D. (20 January 2020). "I'm the 'teacher of the year' who took a knee at the football game attended by Trump. This is why I did it". The Independent. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  15. Holstine, Kelly D. "Educators must be more than allies". YouTube. TED-Ed Educator Talks. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  16. "The first openly LGBTQ Minnesota Teacher of the Year joins OutFront" (July 8, 2019) . OutFront MN
  17. "Shakopee alternative high school teacher is Teacher of the Year" (May 6, 2018). . Education Minnesota
  18. "Kelly Holstine: Courage in the Classroom" (February 13, 2019)
  19. "Third-Annual Women’s Spotlight Event Showcases Both Diversity And Commonality" )March 13, 2019)
  20. "What Women Want 2019 Winners" (May 1, 2019)
  • "Welcome Home Kelly Holstine, Teacher of the Year!" (May 7, 2018) Shakopee Public Schools YouTube channel
  • "The 2018 Minnesota Teacher of the Year finalists" (May 9, 2018) Education Minnesota YouTube channel
  • "2018 Minnesota Teacher of the Year (The Mary Hanson Show)" (Sept. 16, 2018) Mary Hanson YouTube channel
  • Past recipients of Minnesota Teacher of the Year award Education Minnesota website
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