The absolute winner of the All-Russia competition "Teacher of the year - 2008" is a music teacher from the Moscow school of general education N 1060 Mikhail Starodubtsev.

On October, 3 at the ceremonial meeting in the Big Hall of the MSU Fundamental library, devoted to the International Teacher's Day, the name of the absolute winner was announced. The main prize - "Big Crystal Pelican" - was presented to the winner by the Minister of education and science Andrei Fursenko and the Chairman of the Grand Jury Viktor Sadovnichiy.

Mikhail Leonidovich Starodubtsev was born on October 1, 1959. He graduated from Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory (in choir-conductor department of vocal faculty). Pedagogical seniority: 28 years. Hobby: musical and ethnographic expeditions.

All-Russia competition "Teacher of the year" has been conducted since 1990. Competition founders: the Ministry of education and science of Russia, the Federal agency for education, Education and science employees' union of Russia, "Uchitelskaya Gazeta". In 2008 the competition was carried out with the Government of Saint-Petersburg support.

The main actions of the competition "Teacher of the year - 2008" took place on September 15-25, 2008, in Saint-Petersburg. 75 teachers participated in the contests - they were winners of regional competitions (in 2007 there were 68 of the best teachers of the country, in 2006 - 54 of them). All teachers were among the winners of the competitive selection within the priority national project "Education".

According to the competition rules the final consists of two rounds. After the first round 15 winners are chosen, after the second the absolute winner of the competition "Teacher of the year" is defined. The competitive actions of the first round are a presentation of an innovative project, a lesson on the subject and self-analysis of the lesson. To fulfill the competition tasks interdisciplinary groups are formed of the final participants: humanitarian and social, natural-science, art and culture, primary education. The evaluation of maintaining the tasks in each group during the first round is performed by interdisciplinary jury.

15 participants are admitted to the competitive tasks of the second round: two participants received the highest marks in an interdisciplinary group (8 people) and 7 participants received the highest marks in the general rating. Those who are admitted to the second round of the competition are announced as winners. At the second stage the winners fulfill the following tasks: a master-class and a public lecture. The evaluation of maintaining the tasks during the second round is performed by the Grand Jury.

The absolute winner of the final is the participant received the highest marks as a result of the evaluation the second round tasks.