Booker T. Washington Teacher Named 2023 Oklahoma Teacher Of The Year

A Tulsa Public School teacher has been named the 2023 Oklahoma Teacher of the Year.

Traci Manuel teaches sophomore advanced English at Booker T. Washington High School.

"I was determined to overcome my obstacles. I began to overcome those obstacles and see the light at the end of the tunnel," she said.

Traci said she struggled in school and once a counselor told her she didn't have a future. But a mentor and her loved ones told her she did and she kept pushing.

She went to college and ended up majoring in English Literature.

"Someone told me what I could not achieve, like they do many of our urban and rural students, but they can and will achieve," she said.

She started with TPS in 2005 as a substitute teacher, and is now at Booker T.

She's dedicated her life and career to helping students succeed.

"It is important and it is my job to point students and unlock the bright potential, that lies in all of them, that many cannot see," she said.