Some people know exactly what they want to be when they grow up. That wasn’t the case for Becky Hoffman, Sarasota County’s 2026 Elementary School Teacher of the Year—and that’s just fine with her.

Growing up on a 65-acre farm in Maryland, she was surrounded by pigs, chickens, rabbits, and even had a calf she bottle-fed. After high school, she took her time exploring options in college, first considering an art major, then switching to business, where she discovered a love for business law. But she quickly learned the subject was too dry for her, so she changed her major to English, thinking she might one day teach at the college level. 

Things still didn’t feel like an exact fit. When her dad encouraged her to “do what you love, and everything else will fall into place,” she listened. She took a gap year, which led her to open a family business in the restaurant industry. 

She enjoyed meeting and interacting with customers, but after seven years she felt in her heart that she needed to do something more meaningful. Even though her restaurant offered patrons a bright spot in their day, Hoffman wanted to make a bigger difference in the world. 

Her mother-in-law was a kindergarten teacher, and Hoffman’s husband knew how rewarding the work had been for his mother. He encouraged Hoffman to consider teaching. She hesitated, admitting, “I never thought I was good with kids.” Little did she know how wrong that self-perception was—and what lay ahead. 

Hoffman earned a master’s degree in education, assuming she’d become a middle school teacher because her own eighth grade teachers had made such an impact on her. During her practicum at a middle school, she knew immediately that teaching was what she was meant to do. After seven years teaching in Baltimore, she took a leave of absence when her first daughter was born. When she returned, there were no middle school openings, so she accepted a part-time job teaching elementary school. 

Later, during a visit with family in Florida, Hoffman had another one of those defining moments—just like the moment she realized teaching was her calling. As she and her family drove over the Ringling Bridge, she knew instantly that Sarasota was where she wanted to live. They researched schools and decided Pine View School was the right fit. The Hoffmans moved to Florida, enrolled their daughter at Pine View—where she is now in 12th grade—and Hoffman has been teaching fifth grade there for three years. Their younger daughter is in 10th grade at Riverview High School. 

“It was the right decision for our family,” Hoffman said. And they didn’t look back. 

Keeping the secret that she had been selected as the elementary school Teacher of the Year wasn’t easy for the close-knit family. When they were notified and asked to attend the Tribute Tour reveal on Nov. 14, they joined the audience for the announcement. School administrators, staff members from the Education Foundation of Sarasota County, Teacher of the Year sponsors, and—of course—Hoffman’s students and colleagues were waiting in the auditorium when she was recognized. 

“I think I used the word ‘overwhelmed’ 15 times,” she said. “I felt so special. When I tuned in to what was going on and saw my family and everyone behind the curtain, and saw my students standing and cheering, I felt seen for all the hard work. I felt like my heart was so full.” 

Hoffman has been honored as Teacher of the Year at three different schools over her career and once as Literacy Teacher of the Year. But that didn’t diminish the importance of this moment. When asked what the honor meant to her, Hoffman admitted that as she entered her 25th year of teaching, she had started to feel a little burned out.

“This revitalized me,” she said. “It made me see how valued I am, and it makes me want to do more.” 

Hoffman already does a lot—for her students, her family, and for Pine View, where she enjoys being a team leader. 

“I see people for who they are and what they bring to the table. Everyone has skills. When we all work together, it’s magic,” she said. “I once heard someone say that ‘in a storm of challenges, we are a united team on an unsinkable ship.’” It’s a philosophy she lives by. 

What she hopes for her students, her daughters, and her colleagues is simple.  

“I would love for every person to feel they’re making a difference in the world. I knew I needed to be someone who makes changes and makes a difference. If that’s in your heart you have to follow that path.”

While it may be the fastest route, the best pathway between two points is not always a straight line. Sometimes it’s a patient journey of exploration and discovery. As Hoffman put it, “In a world full of noise, listening to yourself and making your own decisions is huge.”