Congratulations go to elementary school teacher Harlee Harvey of Point Hope, Alaska, who has been named her state’s 2023 Teacher of the Year. Photo credit: University of Alaska, Fairbanks.

Congratulations go to Alaska elementary school teacher Harlee Harvey, who has been named her state’s 2023 Teacher of the Year.

Harlee was born and raised in Fairbanks, Alaska. She currently teaches first grade at Tikigaq School in Point Hope. She has also taught fifth grade there. In all, she has taught at the school for nine years.

Harlee says that teaching in rural Alaska has been a unique and rewarding experience. She enjoys living and teaching In a region where most teachers give up and move on within two years. The honored educator asserts that there are two important practices to which she owes her success: implementing culturally responsive teaching and building strong relationships with students, families, and the community. And Harlee declares that, even if home life is turbulent or uncomfortable, school should be a safe place for kids. “It became really important for me to provide the space that I always had growing up for other students in my classroom,” she says. “I wanted to be the teacher that I saw, who made sure that all of these students felt important in the classroom—not just those that are naturally academically talented or your stereotypical, like, dream students—I wanted all students to feel comfortable,” she continues.

In addition to her work in the classroom, Harlee has been involved with numerous staff development programs and extra-curricular activities for students, including the Inupiaq Spelling Bee and Battle of the Books. She also serves as a Mapkuk Mentor for the North Slope Borough School District’s cultural curriculum project.