DoDEA Announces 2025 Teacher of the Year

Sixth grade teacher from Kaiserslautern Middle School, Susan Harris-Boring has been selected as the 2025 Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) Teacher of the Year.

“Susan Harris-Boring is a truly dedicated educator who brings her excitement for learning into the classroom every day,” said DoDEA Director Dr. Beth Schiavino-Narvaez. “Her profound belief that every student deserves to feel valued and respected creates an environment that encourages both personal and academic growth. Susan consistently models teacher leadership at her school and in the community. We are extremely proud to honor her as the 2025 DoDEA Teacher of the Year.”

Originally from Louisiana, Harris-Boring has spent over two decades traveling the world with her family. She has been teaching with DoDEA for five years and has called Germany home for the past nine years.

Harris-Boring's commitment to teaching and her students has earned her several accolades, including a Public Service Commendation Medal from the United States Army for her work as a volunteer English teacher with Operation Allies Refuge in 2021. She was also honored as a recipient of the National Endowment for the Humanities fellowship in 2022.

Harris-Boring has a Bachelor of Journalism and Bachelor of Arts in Film Studies from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and a Master of Arts in Teaching from the University of Maryland University College.

The DoDEA Teacher of the Year Program recognizes and honors exemplary Prekindergarten through high school teachers.  The process begins at the nomination level where teachers may be nominated by peers, administrators, parents, students or community members. Each District Teacher of the Year is selected by a district panel using specified criteria. Nine teachers were named District Teacher of the Year for 2025. Each District Teacher of the Year is invited to apply for the DoDEA Teacher of the Year.

Along with the public recognition and the award, Harris-Boring will enter the National Teacher of the Year (NTOY) application pool and will be recognized by the President at a future White House ceremony.  She will also attend the NTOY Conference and participate in the Council of Chief of State School Officers (CCSSO)-sponsored Teacher of the Year events.

The year of service for the 2025 Teacher of the Year will begin on January 1, 2025, and run through December 2025.  The selection is made months before the term begins to allow the DoDEA candidate and other candidates from the 50 states time to participate in the National Teacher of the Year program which selects a finalist in December. The current (2024) DoDEA Teacher of the Year's term runs through the end of December 2024.

Additional information about DoDEA's Teacher of the Year Program, including points of contact, may be found on the DoDEA web site.

DoDEA plans, directs, coordinates, and manages PK through 12th grade education programs for school-aged children of Department of Defense personnel who would otherwise not have access to a high-quality public education. DoDEA schools are located in Europe, the Pacific, Western Asia, the Middle East, Cuba, the United States, Guam, and Puerto Rico. DoDEA also provides support and resources to Local Educational Activities throughout the U.S. that serve children of military families.

DoDEA 2025 District Teachers of the Year Recipients