CJ Holstine

They are the 54th recipient of the award and the first (and only) from the Shakopee district.

In one of Holstine's responses posed by the Education Minnesota panel, they explained their 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."

CJ Holstine (PKA Kelly) (born 17 December 1973) is an American educator, teacher trainer, public speaker, writer, Equity 2.0 consultant, and the owner of WordHaven BookHouse, LLC, in Sheboygan, Wisconsin.

They were formerly an English teacher at Tokata Learning Center, an alternative high school in Shakopee, Minnesota, and an adjunct professor at Augsburg University.

Holstine is a native of Fairmont, Minnesota, graduating from Fairmont Public Schools in 1992.

Among other influential teachers, Holstine credits Paula Thiede, their fifth-grade teacher at Lincoln Elementary School, for making them feel like they mattered, that they were intelligent and were loved.

After receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from the University of Massachusetts, they worked at print and television media outlets before providing case management for students who dropped out of high school.

They received their Communication Arts & Literature teaching license in 2007 and their Master of Arts in education in 2011, both from Augsburg University in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Holstine taught Communication Arts & English Literature courses, 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 teacher at the Tokata Learning Center.

There they taught Communication Arts & English Literature courses to students between 9th and 12th grade, was a Curriculum Writer for the Success for the Future Grant, and was the advisor for the MAAP Stars student leadership program.

Tokata Learning Center is an alternative high school that serves 9th to 12th grade in Shakopee and surrounding areas.

In their Teacher of the Year application, Holstine wrote this about their 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." One year after being named Minnesota Teacher of the Year, Holstine shifted to training teachers and teachers-in-training (among other adults).

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.

They were among 43 semifinalists and 12 finalists.

They were named the 2018/2019 Minnesota Teacher of the Year by Education Minnesota.

Holstine began their Equity 2.0 Consulting business in 2018.

They work with schools, nonprofits, and businesses to increase their inclusivity and compassionate accountability.

They were named Minnesota Teacher of the Year on May 6, 2018.

Holstine is the first out LGBTQIAP2+ individual to be named Minnesota Teacher of the Year and only the second Alternative Educator.

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

On July 8, 2019, OutFront Minnesota announced Holstine had been hired as the LGBTQIAP2S+ civil rights group's Director of Educational Equity.

On June 26, 2020, Holstine resigned from OutFront MN.

Holstine was an adjunct education professor at Augsburg University from September 2020 - May 2021.

Holstine's Independent BookShop and Writing Center, WordHaven BookHouse, opened on 4/30/22 in Sheboygan, WI.

Holstine chose to kneel during the national anthem at the NCAA football championship game on January 13, 2020 as a way to support the BLM movement and to advocate for people with identities that are historically marginalized and oppressed.

Holstine explained their reasons for kneeling in an article published in The Independent and in their TED-Ed Talk.