If you think back to your time in school you may not remember all of the students, but the one thing that comes to mind for all of us is our favorite teacher.

Each year the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) honors one teacher in Pennsylvania by naming them the ‘Teacher of the Year’.

“At the Department of Education, we know that all educators make a real, lasting impact on their students and communities, and the Teacher of the Year program highlights some of the best of the best,” said Secretary of Education Dr. Khalid N. Mumin.

The “Teacher of the Year” program honors educators who make real, lasting impacts on their students and celebrates teachers who have made outstanding contributions to the young people of Pennsylvania.

Think you know a teacher who has what it takes? Nominations will be accepted HERE, from now until December 15, 2023.

Once December rolls around, the finalists will be selected and recognized at a ceremony in Harrisburg. The 2025 Teacher of the Year will then be announced at the state awards ceremony in early December 2024. As the teacher of the year, the teacher will represent the PA at various local, regional, and national events and then join the National Teacher of the Year ceremony at the White House.

The 2024 Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year was Ryan Hardesty who is a seventh and eighth-grade social studies teacher at Highland Middle School in Blackhawk School District in Beaver County.