National Teacher of the Year: Give Us a Career Path

Rebecca Mieliwocki, the 2012 National Teacher of the Year, receives congratulations from President Barack Obama during a White House ceremony in April 2012.

—Charles Dharapak/AP

Rebecca Mieliwocki, the 2012 National Teacher of the Year, is on a mission to give her profession a facelift. When she received her award in April, the 7th grade science teacher from Burbank, Calif., said she planned to use her yearlong platform to help restore "dignity and admiration to teachers." She has also been outspoken about her support for tiered career ladders—coupled with differentiated pay—as a way to give teachers more career-advancement opportunities.

In the months since being named NTOY, Mieliwocki has had no shortage of influential audiences. She has given speeches at several large, national conferences, discussed education policy with governors, and sat down for a two-hour meeting with arguably the country's most influential education funder, Microsoft founder Bill Gates.

We caught up with Mieliwocki recently to ask her about her visions for the teaching profession and how she sees some of the most pressing education issues playing out for teachers across the country.

Click here to read the interview.