Alisha Butler always wanted to be a teacher. While most kids her age played with Barbies, Butler filled her childhood with pointer sticks and textbooks.

That dedication has brought her to where she is today as the 2027 Louisiana Teacher of the Year. Each year, the Louisiana Department of Education, in partnership with Dream Teachers and the Louisiana Association of Principals, recognizes outstanding educators through the Teacher and Principal of the Year programs. Louisiana school systems nominate up to three teachers and three principals for state-level consideration. Then, through a rigorous selection process, the department identifies educators whose impact extends beyond individual classrooms and schools. Those exceptional teachers and principals are awarded and celebrated, then serve as ambassadors for public education in Louisiana.

“It was like something that you would’ve only thought would happen in a story or a movie,” Butler says, reflecting on receiving the award during the 20th annual Cecil J. Picard Educator Excellence Awards Gala, held at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans. “It was a surprise, but it was a perfect surprise.”

Long before her current job at the Louisiana School for the Visually Impaired, she first discovered visually impaired education during an elementary school career day. Someone there introduced her to the Braille alphabet, and it immediately caught her attention.

After teaching for several years, she arrived at the Louisiana School for the Visually Impaired, not fully understanding visually impaired etiquette or Braille, but determined to learn what she needed to help her students. She completed graduate classes and earned her National Certification in Unified English Braille.

“To have that extra level of respect and acknowledgment from [the students] meant so much more than the piece of paper,” she says.

Butler says being a good teacher means learning alongside students, being willing to fail in front of them and admitting when you don’t have all the answers. And exceptional teachers are those who maintain high expectations while still building relationships, she adds.

Building those connections is her favorite part about teaching at the Louisiana School for the Visually Impaired. In the K-12 program, she works with students for years at a time, which gives her the chance to build deeper relationships. For her, watching them grow up and guiding them to independence is one of the best parts of the job.

With her new platform as Teacher of the Year, advocating for accessibility and independence is high on her priority list. But she says she wants to be a voice not only for special education students, but for every student and teacher in the state.

“Advocacy is never a title. It’s a full-blown responsibility,” she says.