High school English teacher Elise Boutin of Louisiana has been named her state’s 2025 Teacher of the Year. Photo credit: The Acadiana Advocate

It is always my pleasure to share the news that an exceptional educator has received recognition for their work with young people in America’s public classrooms. Today, I am pleased to announce that Elise Boutin, an English teacher from Louisiana, has been named her state’s 2025 Teacher of the Year.

Elise teaches seniors at Rayne High School in Acadia Parish, Louisiana. She also serves as the school’s Interact Club Advisor and the Cross Country coach. In a career that spans 14 years, she has spent the last 10 of them at Rayne. Prior to her service at the high school, she taught at the junior high school level.

As part of her work at Rayne, Elise resurrected the Rayne, Alive! program, a student-produced YouTube channel. The program has become an important part of the school’s culture. While producing this program, Elise’s students have worked with crews from news stations in Lafayette, and they have even met celebrities and enlisted their aid in creating introductions for episodes of the show. 

Elise says the secret of her success in the classroom is to be real. “I’m authentically myself, and then I give permission for them to be themselves, and I feel like that’s kind of the most unique thing about me,” Elise says. “I really do encourage my students to find their voice and be themselves and not fit a mold of any kind.”

In addition to her Teacher of the Year honors, Elise has been named this year’s recipient of the Norma Hunt Super Bowl Champion of Education award, which includes two tickets to this year’s Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans.

Elise earned her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in 2009. She earned her Master’s degree in Teaching from McNeese State University in 2013. In addition, she is working on a graduate certificate in professional writing at the University of Louisiana in Lafayette.