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“Humbled beyond belief”: Brandy Lane selected as 2027 Kansas Teacher of the Year
Sep 24, 2026
by Angela Deines
Brandy Lane, center, was named at the 2027 Kansas Teacher of the Year during a ceremony on Sept. 19, in Wichita, by Education Commissioner Dr. Jake Steel, left, along with Rachel Marlow, right, the 2026 Kansas Teacher of the Year.
“Humbled beyond belief” were the words Brandy Lane used to describe her first reaction when she heard her name announced as the next Kansas Teacher of the Year (KTOY).
“I was just absolutely in shock,” the Goodard USD 265 educator said after Kansas Education Commissioner Dr. Jake Steel announced she is the 2027 KTOY at the annual Dale Dennis Kansas Teacher of the Year banquet this past Saturday, in Wichita. “I was very surprised and honored and humbled just to be part of this amazing group of educators and the hundreds in my district whom I respect so much.”
Out of 142 nominations, Lane was chosen from a group of eight regional finalists for the state’s most prestigious educator honor. She is now eligible to compete for the 2027 National Teacher of the Year who will be named this spring.
As a seventh-grade English language arts (ELA) teacher at Goddard’s Dwight D. Eisenhower Middle School, Lane said she loves her job “every single day,” and has experienced “absolute complete joy,” in the 20 years she’s been in the classroom. She said she especially appreciates the challenges and rewards of teaching middle school students.
“They’re so excited to learn,” she said. “I also love that there’s the whole gamut of kids and I get to be with them as they’re figuring things out.”
Lane earned a Bachelor of Education degree with a middle-level ELA endorsement from Washburn University, in Topeka, and a Master of Education degree from Baker University, in Baldwin City.
Before continuing her teaching career in Goddard USD 265 in 2018, Lane taught sixth grade at two schools in Auburn-Washburn USD 437 and middle school ELA at Valley Falls USD 338. She is a Kansas Master Teacher, Auburn-Washburn Master Teacher and was Eisenhower Middle School’s Teacher of the Year in 2019. Lane has also been a teacher leader and is currently a mentor trainer for the New Teacher Center (NTC), a national nonprofit organization dedicated “to improving teacher effectiveness, creating robust professional learning systems, and fostering growth environments for new teachers,” according to NTC’s website.
As the state’s top educator ambassador, along with the 2027 KTOY team, Lane said she wants to help her colleagues across the state think outside the box to engage students and keep the joy in teaching.
“We’re all pulling each other in the same direction,” she said. “We’re a team. We’re not doing this alone. I also want to show how proud I am of educators and spend this year celebrating what’s going on in Kansas education.”
