Nicole A. Parker

The Department of Defense Education Activity Pacific South District is pleased to announce the selection of Ms. Nicole Parker as the district’s 2024 Teacher of the Year.

Ms. Parker teaches eighth grade English Language Arts at Ryukyu Middle School in Okinawa, Japan, where she has taught for the past five years. She serves on the School Advisory Committee, is the Continuous School Improvement Chairperson and the English Language Arts department chair.

“I am so honored and humbled,” Ms. Parker said. “I am inspired every day by the students I teach and my magnificent colleagues. I will do my best to represent them well. It is such a humbling experience to be recognized as a teacher of the year in a district filled with some of the world’s most excellent educators.”

Ms. Parker believes every student has an important story to tell and it is her mission to give them tools, skills, and opportunities to share it.

“I love helping students to find their voices,” she said. “Seeing my students grow and learn throughout the year makes my work so rewarding.”

Ms. Parker holds a bachelor’s degree in Professional Communication from Florida State University and a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from University of Texas at Arlington. As a military spouse and mother to three military-connected students, she is proud to serve as a DoDEA educator.

“My students are the best in the world, and I am so privileged to be able to work with them,” she said. “Military connected students have a unique perspective on the world, and it is incredibly rewarding to have a part in shaping them into the people they will become.”

As the Pacific South District Teacher of the Year selectee, Ms. Parker will be considered for the 2024 DoDEA Teacher of the Year, which competes for National Teacher of the Year. All selectees will also attend the annual DoDEA Teacher of the Year Leadership Summit held at DoDEA Headquarters in September.