Mandarin High School history teacher Jim Schmitt was greeted by a few more visitors in his classroom compared to his usual batch of students on Tuesday morning. With a giant banner in hand, Florida Department of Education officials let the veteran teacher know that he was a 2022 Florida Teacher of the Year Finalist.
Schmitt is one of five finalists that were selected throughout Florida out of the state s more than 185,000 public school teachers. Each year, the Department of Education selects finalists from a pool of district Teachers of the Year.
In January, Schmitt who has been in the field for 27 years was named Duval County s Teacher of the Year. He was recognized for his work developing a writing program for at-risk students, writing a $10,000 grant for a school-to-work program and for serving as a standards coach. Before he became a teacher, Schmitt served as a Lieutenant in the United States Navy.