Greg Kester, a 1995 graduate of Southeast Missouri State University and a social studies teacher at Potosi High School in Potosi, Missouri, has been named 2024 Teacher of the Year by Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).

Kester, who was honored at a recognition ceremony Oct. 16 in Columbia, Missouri, is a native of Cape Girardeau.

"My favorite part of teaching is the ability to spend time with young people, help them learn and watch them grow," Kester said at the ceremony.

"Over the years, I have learned teaching is not about lessons, data, grades, objectives or curriculum benchmarks (but) about unique individuals. Students aren't data points. Standardized test scores are not always reflections of what was taught; they are sometimes the reflection of what a young person had to overcome and still succeed. This is what I have learned in almost three decades of teaching public school in rural Missouri."

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