Durant teacher is Oklahoma Teacher of the Year finalist

Durant Middle School seventh grade math and pre-algebra teacher Lisa Sager has been named one of 10 finalists for the 2024 Oklahoma Teacher of the Year.

The announcement was made last week.

“I love teaching math, and I hope my students can see that,” Sager said, in a statement provided to the Office of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction. “More importantly, I love watching students understand. Students need to know the why behind what they are learning and how to discover the why on their own.

“I try to teach my students to be confident in their answers, justify their reasoning, be willing to listen to another opinion and feel comfortable to speak up. Most importantly, I hope they know it is okay to try something and be wrong.“ The Oklahoma Teacher of the Year serves as Oklahoma Ambassador of Teaching, representing Oklahoma in the national competition by sharing knowledge and resources with fellow educators around the state and encouraging education as a profession.

The program is coordinated through the Office of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Ryan Walters. It is in conjunction with the National Teacher of the Year Program sponsored by the Council of Chief State School Officers.

The 2024 Oklahoma Teacher of the Year will be announced in June 2024 and will travel across Oklahoma as an ambassador for teachers during the 2024-2025 school year.

In a social media post, Durant Public Schools said, “Congratulations Lisa Sager! We are so proud of you!”

Now-retired Durant educator Jon Hazell was the Oklahoma Teacher of the Year in 2017.

Durant Middle School teacher Lisa Sager is a finalist for the 2024 Oklahoma Teacher of the Year. She was the Durant School District’s Teacher of the Year for 2022-2023.