Alaska’s Amy Gallaway, a social studies teacher in Fairbanks, has been named her state’s 2020 Teacher of the Year.

I love to tell stories about teachers who have been recognized for their outstanding effort in the classroom. One of these is Amy Gallaway, a high school social studies teacher from Fairbanks, Alaska. Shes been named her states 2020 Teacher of the Year.

Amy inaugurated her 20-year career as an educator in Alaska in 1993. That was the year she was working as an archeologist in Wrangell St. Elias National Park. While working at that job, she took a seasonal position as a teacher’s aide in Glennallen School. She loved that temporary job so much she decided to go back to school to earn her teaching credentials. Amy had already completed the requirements for her Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology at Northern Arizona University. To earn her Master’s degree in Secondary Education and Teaching, she enrolled in courses at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. She completed that program in 1999.

After earning her teaching credentials, Amy accepted her first teaching job in Nuiqsut, an Inupiaq village on the Colville River. There she became involved in local civics projects. She wanted to show her students how they could use their personal power to benefit the entire community.

In 2002, Amy started working for the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District. Currently, she works at West Valley High School in that district. There she teaches history, government, and career education to high school students.

Because of her strong belief that learning should be empowering, relevant, and community-oriented, Amy is a teacher mentor for the national We the People civics program. The program emphasizes critical thinking skills and features a simulated Congressional hearing with judges from the community.

To read more about this amazing educator, click on this link to Amy Gallaway of Fairbanks named Teacher of the Year.