Fayette County High’s Foley named 2026 Fayette County Teacher of the Year

Fayette County High’s Matt Foley was named the 2026 Fayette County Teacher of the Year at the annual awards ceremony on April 16.

Foley teaches American government, Advanced Placement government and politics, and Advanced Placement macroeconomics at FCHS. He serves as the social studies department chair and the government professional learning community lead. Foley is in his 21st year of teaching.

In his acceptance speech, he reflected on the impact educators make.

“My job isn’t to tell (students) what to think. It’s to teach them how to think—how to listen, how to question, how to support their ideas with evidence, and how to engage with people they don’t always agree with. And sometimes that gets a little intense,” he said. “Those moments, when students are questioning, thinking, and engaging with big ideas, those are the moments when real learning happens.”

Foley thought about his younger brother, Andrew, who passed away suddenly this past August.

“Losing him has been a constant reminder of how much the people in our lives matter. It changes the way you look at the time you get with people, and that perspective stays with you,” he said. “It makes you think about the time you get with students, too. Every student who walks into our classroom is somebody’s child, somebody’s entire world, somebody whose story is still being written. And the time we spend with them can stay with them long after they leave our classroom.”

A great teacher shares lessons that carry on well past graduation.

“After more than 20 years in education, I’ve come to believe something simple: Great teachers don’t just deliver content. They shape what students believe about themselves and help them discover who they can become,” he said. “If I’ve been able to do even a small part of that for my students over the years, then I consider myself incredibly fortunate.”

The three finalists were Foley along with Dr. Courtney Adams of Bennett’s Mill Middle and Erin Keith of Kedron Elementary.