Dr. Brandi De La Cruz, a mathematics teacher from Collierville, Tennessee, has been named her state’s 2026 Teacher of the Year. Photo credit: Dr. Brandi De La Cruz
There are many excellent educators who work with America’s young people in our pubic schools. One of these is Dr. Brandi De La Cruz, a high school mathematics teacher from Tennessee. She has been named her state’s 2026 Teacher of the Year.
Brandi teaches students in grades10 through 12 at Collierville High School in Collierville, near metropolitan Memphis. There she instructs courses in Algebra, Trigonometry, and Dual Enrollment Calculus.
In addition to her classroom teaching, Brandi has served as an instructional coach, a lead in the professional learning community, and a morale committee organizer. She contributes to both the Teacher Advisory and District Strategic Planning committees. She also sponsors student groups such as The Collierville Crazies.
What is Brandi’s secret to success? “Some of the hardest parts of teaching are making sure you are not going at it alone,” advises Brandi. “”Find your people and go out and do things together outside of school. Rely on them when you can. Teaching is a team sport,” she continues.
Brandi practices what she preaches. The honored teacher is the founder of Mutt Mafia, a nonprofit dog rescue in her community that has saved more than 1,100 dogs since 2018. And, she says, she enjoys watching sports and officiating volleyball games at the club, high school, and collegiate levels.
Brandi earned her Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Mississippi Valley State University in 2006. She earned a Master’s degree in Teaching from the University of Arkansas in 2008 and a second Master’s degree in Educational Theory and Practice from Arkansas State University in 2011. She also earned a PhD in Secondary Mathematics Education from the University of Mississippi. Her career as an educator spans 17 years, six of them at Collierville High.
