Skip to content

2025 Awards

2025 Teacher of the Year Badge

Calling all Participate Learning Ambassador Teachers and U.S. partner teachers!

We are so excited to announce the 2025 Participate Learning Teacher of the Year Awards! Our annual awards recognize three teachers in the Participate Learning Network who have shown an outstanding commitment to their students and school community, and have exemplified our shared mission of uniting our world through global learning while preparing students to be globally competitive and career-ready.

The 2025 Teacher of the Year Awards are open to:

  • All Participate Learning Ambassador Teachers.
  • U.S. teachers in partner schools that implement our Participate Learning Global Leaders framework and/or a Dual Language Program.

Applicants should show your commitment to teaching global perspectives in your classroom and your dedication to the Participate Learning mission by sharing examples of:

  • Connections
    • Connections with your students, colleagues at school, and your community.
    • Connections with fellow members of the Participate Learning Network and beyond.

 

 

 

 

  • Cultural Experiences
    • Cultural experiences you provide for your students, school, and community by sharing your own culture, recognizing all of the cultures represented in your classroom, and teaching about U.S. culture and different cultures from around the world. 
    • U.S. and global cultural experiences you embrace for your own personal and professional growth.

 

  • Leadership
    • Leading initiatives or groups within your grade level, school, or district.
    • Contributing to the Participate Learning Network by sharing knowledge, supporting fellow educators, or serving in leadership roles.
    • Engaging in other leadership opportunities in your community and beyond.

 

  • Learning
    • Professional development opportunities that advance your own learning.
    • Creative global and/or language learning experiences that you provide for your students.
    • Innovative global and/or language learning experiences that prepare students to be career-ready and globally competitive by fostering the skills essential for workforce success.

Throughout your application also highlight examples of how you:

  • Embody the global competencies and the global issues. 
  • Impact students, colleagues, your community, the Participate Learning Network, and beyond.
  • For Dual Language Program teachers—Implement the dual language teaching practices in accordance with your school’s specified model.

Eligibility

Ambassador Teachers

  • All applicants must be a member of at least one Participate Learning community of practice.
  • All applicants must be active 1st–5th term Ambassador Teachers during the current 2024-25 school year.
  • All applicants must be in good standing as J-1 visa holders with Participate Learning.
  • Applicants must be in good standing at their school and district.
  • Applicants in their 1st–4th terms must be planning to renew their teaching commitment for the 2025-26 school year.

U.S. Partner Teachers

  • All applicants must be a member of at least one Participate Learning community of practice.
  • Applicants must currently teach in a partner school implementing the Participate Learning Global Leaders framework and/or a Dual Language Program.
  • Applicants must have a minimum of 3 years of teaching experience in K-12 classrooms.
  • Applicants must intend to renew their teaching commitment at their current school for the 2025-26 school year.
  • Applicants must be in good standing at their school/district.
Nomination and Interest Deadline

Timeline

The timeline for applications and all award announcements is as follows:

  • Applications Open—Monday, February 24, 2025.
  • Nomination Deadline
    •  Monday, March 17, 2025 by midnight—If you are interested in nominating a Participate Learning partner teacher to apply for the awards, your nomination form must be submitted by this date. 
  • Interest Deadline
    • Thursday, March 20, 2025 by midnight—In order to apply for the awards, you must complete the interest form by this date. This includes:
      • Teachers who are interested in entering the awards.
      • Teachers who have been nominated and who are interested in entering the awards.
  • Finalist Notifications—Finalists will be notified on or before Friday, April 11, 2025.
  • Finalist Course Submissions Due—Sunday, April 20, 2025.
  • Award Winner Announcements—Winners will be announced in the Participate Learning communities of practice after Monday, May 12, 2025.
Teacher of the Year

Awards Package

Winners of the 2025 Participate Learning Teacher of the Year awards will receive:

  • A $1,000 check for your personal use.
  • A new Apple laptop.
  • A commemorative framed certificate.

 

Over the course of their one-year tenure as a 2025 Participate Learning Teacher of the Year, winners will commit to advancing global education by:

  • Creating learning experiences that foster the global competencies and other key skills for success in an interconnected world.
  • Equipping students with the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in future careers.
  • Sharing their innovative teaching practices with their school communities and the broader Participate Learning Network.

 

Winners may also have opportunities to:

  • Engage in professional development experiences.
  • Receive sponsorships to present at conferences, Participate Learning events, and other virtual and in-person events.
  • Share their experiences and knowledge with members of the Participate Learning Network.

The nomination and application period for the 2025 Participate Learning Teacher of the Year Awards is now closed. We encourage you to apply next year!

 

Please email Juliana Deitch with any questions.