Longtime Eden Prairie educator named 2025 Minnesota Teacher of the Year

Eden Prairie High School English teacher Linda Wallenberg, who over her 49-year career has mastered the art of helping students feel understood, is Minnesota’s 2025 Teacher of the Year.

Wallenberg, who students refer to as “Wally,” has taught at the high school since 1977. At a banquet at the St. Paul RiverCentre on Sunday, she was named the 61st Minnesota Teacher of the Year. She is the first teacher from the Eden Prairie school district to win the award.

“I believe the classroom is hope, and we cannot surrender hope,” said Wallenberg, who considers herself an eternal optimist, after the ceremony. “If the classroom is the place where we have the ability to build bridges, to give our children what they need to succeed, then we have a bright future.”

A Chicago native, Wallenberg studied in Sweden before going on to graduate from Gustavus Adolphus College in 1975. She earned a degree in English and Scandinavian studies, becoming the first certified Swedish teacher in Minnesota, according to Teacher of the Year organizers.

She taught eighth grade English at Faribault Junior High for more than a year before joining Eden Prairie High School, where she has taught English and Swedish. She also has served as a gymnastics coach and has authored two books on the sport.

Wallenberg has a master’s degree in English education from the University of Minnesota. She has been named Eden Prairie Teacher of the Year three times and also was a finalist for Minnesota Teacher of the Year in 2005.

Wallenberg said she often pulls from her experience coaching gymnastics to offer students advice on resilience.

“I became a teacher because I am fiercely curious, and I love to learn. And I believe our students love to learn, too,” Wallenberg said.

She said she works every day to show students that “they belong here. That there’s a seat for them in the classroom. That there’s the ability within that classroom to open their eyes up to the world. That has made a huge difference.”

Eden Prairie High School senior Sedona Lashkowitz nominated Wallenberg for the award. She said Wallenberg took extra care to help guide her through her freshman year.

“She made me feel so seen and heard,” Lashkowitz said. “She’s had so many students, but she just interacts one-on-one with each student and seems to remember the finest little details about every single person. It just shows she cares about every single person.”

After nearly five decades as an educator, Wallenberg said she remains committed to teaching, empowering students and bringing English curriculum and literature to life.

“My students might say it’s all about advocating for the Oxford comma,” Wallenberg said with a laugh. “But I’d say the thing that really made me land on English was stories. Our most precious ability to know each other is to share our stories.”

Wallenberg has taught generations of students who since have become professional athletes and writers, as well as many educators, some of whom were Minnesota Teacher of the Year finalists.

She was selected as this year’s winner out of a pool of dozens of nominees, which was narrowed down to 12 finalists. The Teacher of the Year represents the state’s thousands of educators by speaking to education organizations, legislators and other community groups throughout the year.