English teacher Leah Carper has been named the 2023 North Carolina Teacher of the Year. Photo credit: North Carolina Department of Public Instruction

There are many exceptional educators in our country who have earned accolades for their work with young people. One of these is Leah Carper, an English teacher from North Carolina. She has been named as her state’s 2023 Teacher of the Year.

Leah Carper teaches at Northern Guilford High School in Greensboro, North Carolina. In her classroom, she designs curriculum that not only teaches the skills and standards of the course, but also teaches her students how to be empathetic, contributing members of a global community. “They’re students of humanity, and they’re learning how to be good people, and they’re learning that in our classrooms every day,” declares Leah.

Since her selection as North Carolina’s Teacher of the Year, Leah has shared stories about the many of the educators who influenced her. These teachers taught her about being accepting of new people or appreciating different cultures and countries. She even recalled a third grade teacher who bought her new shoelaces because she didn’t have any. These are things, she remarked, that cannot be measured on a standardized test.

In addition to her recognition as North Carolina’s Teacher of the Year, Leah garnered the title of 2022 Burroughs Wellcome Fund North Carolina Teacher of the Year. She was also named the 2021 Guilford County Schools Teacher of the Year and the Guilford County Schools PTA Outstanding High School Educator Award in both 2020 and 2018. She was named the Guilford County Schools Rookie Teacher of the Year in 2007.

Leah earned her Bachelor’s degree in Secondary English Education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 2006. She earned her Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Queens University of Charlotte in 2017. Her career as an educator spans 18 years.