Teacher of the Year laid foundation of success at CMU
University’s right size and fit helped educator discover his identity
Corey Rosser came to Central Michigan University thinking about a career in business. What he found was the foundation of a career that led him to being named Michigan's Teacher of the Year.
Rosser came to CMU from a rural community. CMU and Mount Pleasant were the perfect size for him to grow and shift into a successful teaching career.
“Attending Central Michigan University helped me discover the teacher that I wanted to be in the classroom,” said Rosser, a social studies teacher in North Branch Area Schools’ Quest High School. “CMU was the ‘right-size, right-fit’ school for me that played a large role in my journey to becoming Michigan Teacher of the Year.”
CMU was big enough to give him room to grow, he said, but enrollment was also the right size to provide him ample opportunities for individual attention.
Rosser was recently named Michigan’s 2026 Teacher of the Year by the Michigan Department of Education. He has worked in the small Lapeer County school of approximately 40 students since it opened in 2004, the year he graduated from CMU.
Five hundred teachers statewide were initially nominated for the title last fall. Rosser was one of 10 teachers named Regional Teachers of the Year in February.
When state superintendent Michael Rice visited Rosser to announce his honor during Teacher Appreciation Week, Rosser believed that the visit was connected to the regional teacher announcement.
In addition to regular classroom instruction, Rosser has also taught summer school and provided virtual learning instruction, according to the MDOE press release.
As one of the regional teachers of the year, Rosser will work over the next year advocating on behalf of public school teachers and Michigan’s schools through the State Board of Education.
He is also Michigan’s candidate for the 2025 National Teacher of the Year honor.
