Tennessee Names Sycamore Elementary Teacher Top Educator
STEM educator Jenna Burke earns state recognition for her unique approach to teaching resilience through classroom challenges.
Updated on Oct. 29, 2026 in Secondary Education
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The Tennessee Department of Education has selected Jenna Burke, a STEM teacher at Sycamore Elementary, as the 2026 Tennessee Teacher of the Year. Burke is now moving forward to apply for the National Teacher of the Year award.
Why it matters
Burke uses experimental instructional methods where student groups face intentional challenges to teach perseverance. She emphasizes that viewing failure as a learning opportunity significantly increases student motivation to keep trying.
Collierville Schools has secured two consecutive state Teacher of the Year awards, marking a record performance unseen in the district for 50 years. The school administration actively supports teachers like Burke in implementing experimental instructional ideas.
The players
Jenna Burke
She is a dedicated STEM teacher at Sycamore Elementary who has spent nearly a decade in the classroom.
Julie Manhein
She is an educational leader who earned the Principal of the Year title in 2025.
Tennessee Department of Education
This state agency oversees public K-12 education and manages the annual Teacher of the Year award selection.
The details
Burke has spent nearly a decade refining her STEM curriculum at the Collierville school. Her approach focuses on creating environments where students learn to navigate setbacks as a critical component of academic and personal growth.
Timeline
2025: Julie Manhein is named Principal of the Year.
2026: Jenna Burke is named Tennessee Teacher of the Year.
Culture Shift
This recognition aligns with a broader shift toward prioritizing social-emotional learning and perseverance over traditional rote memorization in STEM fields. It reflects a growing educational trend that favors experimental teaching methods designed to prepare students for real-world failure.
Parents with students in Collierville Schools may see an increased emphasis on resilience-based curriculum in STEM classrooms. This approach encourages students to shift their perspective on academic challenges, potentially changing how they handle homework and group projects.
The takeaway
Embracing failure as a tool for growth can transform a classroom culture and build long-term student confidence. Parents can implement this at home by encouraging their children to treat difficult tasks as experiments rather than tests of intelligence.
Further reading
Read more about regional teaching standards on the Secondary Education page.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Fox13.
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