Oregon’s 2025 Teacher of the Year
Congratulations to Bryan Butcher, Jr., Oregon’s 2025 Teacher of the Year!
Leading with Respect, Effort, and Snacks
Oregon Lottery is proud to sponsor the Teacher of the Year program, which rewards those who dedicate their lives to inspiring students every day.
Bryan is a dynamic middle school algebra teacher at Beaumont Middle School, where he’s widely known for his passion for education. Born and raised in Portland and the product of local public schools, he truly engages and identifies with his students and, most of all, understands their experiences.
Making Math Less Murky
How does he do it? Respect and effort. With those two key ingredients, he helps students achieve more than they realize.
All around Bryan’s classroom, students can find helpful tools, tips, and inspiration. That’s because Bryan doesn’t want his students to feel intimidated by math. Instead, he encourages his students to see math as a fun challenge and to try new ways to solve problems, including using their own real-life experiences.
When they realize that they actually do math every day — like when they figure out if they have enough change for a soda after school — they can also see that hard things are possible.
I found my niche with middle school math. I get to enjoy math, which I did as a student, and I get to help kids enjoy it, or at least, take away the anxiety from it.— Bryan Butcher
Read The Room
When his students first heard that Bryan had won Teacher of the Year, they created colorful posters to express their appreciation. Those posters now join the other handmade art on the walls.
Scanning his classroom, it’s clear how much his students connect with Bryan. In addition to the new posters, there are other signs. From the wall that they ask to sign at the end of each year to the update bulletin board they use to post about their weekend activities, the room is full of testaments to Bryan’s connection with the students — and their connection with him.
The Name Game
Even students who have never sat in Bryan’s classroom know one thing about him: Spend time with him, and you’ll likely get a nickname. This unique moniker is just one more way that Bryan shows an emotional investment in his students — and he’s got real skill! Fellow teachers are amazed that the names are always original and never once repeated.
Growing In Community
In addition to teaching math, Bryan also provides leadership as the founder of Beaumont Middle School’s Black Student Union. Students meet in Bryan’s classroom during lunch, where he makes ramen with a series of electric kettles and facilitates conversation.
The group not only creates space for students explore their identity as Black youth in a predominantly white school but also helps the incoming sixth graders connect with older students and have more familiar faces in the hallways.