Eden Prairie High School English teacher Linda Wallenberg has been named a finalist for National Teacher of the Year. Wallenberg is in her 50th year of teaching.
Wallenberg is no stranger to accolades. Last year, she won the honor of being named Minnesota’s Teacher of the Year. At that ceremony, she spoke of her love of teaching. “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.
Wallenberg, originally a Chicago native, has worn many hats throughout her 50 year career. From coaching gymnastics to teaching Shakespeare, she has found accolades wherever she goes. She has been named Eden Prairie’s Teacher of the Year three times. The National Teacher of the Year honorees list describes her as such:
She graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College with a degree in English and Scandinavian studies. Wallenberg came to Eden Prairie in 1977 as an English and Swedish teacher and head gymnastics coach. She has dedicated over 50 years to teaching in Minnesota, beginning in January 1976 and serving students every academic year since.
“Wally,” as she is called by her students and colleagues, has experienced many changes over the last 50 years, from ditto machines to online learning and artificial intelligence. No matter the trends, Wallenberg’s commitment to her students has never faltered. Her enthusiasm for her subject matter is evident and contagious, whether teaching comma rules or Hamlet. Her students have gone on to be professional poets, professional hockey players and Olympic medalists. She is especially proud to have inspired countless students to become teachers — including several Minnesota Teacher of the Year finalists. To Wallenberg, teaching is a calling of love.
Wallenberg earned a master’s degree in English education from the University of Minnesota. She has taught in Canterbury, England, and for the past 44 summers has taught Swedish and served as the director of Concordia College’s Swedish Language Village. In addition to numerous teaching awards, Wallenberg has been named National Gymnastics Coach of the Year twice and awarded the Royal Order of the Polar Star from King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden. She was also awarded the Parr Prize for Excellence in Teaching Shakespeare.
Eden Prairie Senior High, where Wallenberg serves, has consistently held reading proficiency scores ten percentage points or higher than the state average over the past five years. It is to Eden Prairie Senior High’s credit that they have such an accomplished teacher as part of their arsenal.
One of five national finalists, Wallenberg will soon travel to Washington D.C. to interview with the National Teacher of the Year Selection Committee. The 2026 National Teacher of the Year will be announced in the spring.
