Inspired by their teacher, Erin Gruwell, and the writings of Anne Frank, the students discover a new way to express themselves.
Teaching to Live
Produced by:Andre Guttfreund
A teacher hero trains children to be self-sufficient environmentalists.
The MY HERO Report II - Rowena Gerber
Producer: Skip Blumberg
Miami teacher Rowena Gerber inspires students to save our environment.
Connecting Through the Beat
Producer: Sally Nellson Barrett
Kristin Lukow is an elementary school music teacher with an unorthodox approach to education that has parents and students inspired.
Japan Art Mile
Producer: Cheikh Seck
Atsuku Shiraku shares her enthusiasm for global peace through collaborative art murals.
Cheikh Darou Seck - Global Educator
Producer: MY HERO
Cheikh Darou Seck is the 2009 winner of the MY HERO Global Educator Award.
Ed Gragert - Special Hero Award
Producer: MY HERO
Ed Gragert was honored at the 2009 MY HERO Film Festival with a Special Hero Award.
Jerrilyn Jacobs - Media Arts Educator Award 2017
Produced by:Evan Morton
Jerrilyn Jacobs has been inspiring students to create meaningful media for over a decade. MY HERO salutes her dedication as a teacher and director of the Taft Media Program.
Eradication of Malaria in Botswana
Producer: Tommie Hamaluba from BOTSWANA
Tommie Hamaluba works incessantly in the fight against malaria in Botswana.
Global TV spotlights the My Hero Project in a classroom.
Stories about teacher heroes from around the world
The following stories feature hero educators who change the way we learn.
Dr. Mandeep Rai – MY HERO's 2022 Global Educator
By: Abigail Richardson
Dr. Rai, author of The Values Compass wins MY HERO 2022 Global Educator Award.
Frances Moore Lappé (Lappe)
By: Rosemary Pritzker
Hero Frances Moore Lappe is a passionate and pioneering thinker and activist who fights world hunger.
Dr. Sakena Yacoobi, Hero and ‘Mother of Afghan Education’
By: Abigail Richardson
Andy Crisp's Film, 'Mental Health Awareness:' Film Fest Finalist
By: Deborah Neff, MY HERO Staff writer
Jeffrey Rudkin Receives 2022 MY HERO Teacher Award
By: Deborah Neff, Staff writer
Pashtana Durrani
By: Deborah Neff
Pashtana Durrani, who received the Malala Fund Education Champion award for her work on behalf of education for Afghan girls, is determined to continue providing educational opportunities for women and girls, even if she has to resist the Taliban and go underground.
Salman (Sal) Khan
By: Suha Memon
Salman Khan created Khan Academy, a free online educational platform.
Dina Fesler opens a unique school in Afghanistan
By: David Conrads <br> Contributor of The Christian Science Monitor<br> <h5>Perm...
Dina Fesler went to Afghanistan to learn how to teach U.S. students about the country. Now she's opened a school there.
Techo and Techo para Aprender
By: Annie Merkley
Techo and Techo para Aprender are nonprofits in Chile that help empower impoverished communities through leadership, housing and education.
Dr. James Doty
By: Wendy Jewell
James Doty, M.D., FACS, FICS is a professor of neurosurgery at Stanford University and founder and director of the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education. His book, “Into the Magic Shop: A Neurosurgeon’s Quest to Discover the Mysteries of the Brain and the Secrets of the Heart” is taking the world - and many classrooms in it - by storm. Compassion is key.
Erin Gruwell
By: Annie Merkley
Erin Gruwell
continues to inspire educators and students around the world with her compassion and wisdom.
Listen & Read Along
The following stories have links so you can hear the audio as you read. Great for ESL students!
Felix Elizalde
By: Alexandra from Newark
Alexandra writes about her grandfather, Felix Elizalde, who worked alongside Cesar Chavez by advocating for the importance of education.
For Younger Students by Younger Students
Paul Cummins
By: Kristin Herbert for MY HERO
Paul Cummins
has devoted his career to finding ways to provide all children equitable access to a quality education.
2022 TEACHER HERO - JEFFREY RUDKIN
By: 7th grade Students from Batchelor Middle School
A wonderful media arts educator who inspires his students with a focus on hero based storytelling!
Bill Belsey
By: Jesse from Calgary
Bill Belsey
teaches his students and others how to stand up to bullying.
MY HERO International Festival Educator Award Winners
Dr. Mandeep Rai – MY HERO's 2022 Global Educator
By: Abigail Richardson
Dr. Rai, author of The Values Compass wins MY HERO 2022 Global Educator Award.
Samar Minallah Khan
By: Abigail Richardson
Samar is a filmmaker, anthropologist and activist. In the media, she has been referred to as ‘The Savior of Souls,’ one of the ‘Women who rock the world,’ ‘The Crusader with the Camera’ and the ‘Women that changed Pakistan.’
My Hero Awards Holly Carter 2021 Global Media Educator
By: Abigail Richardson
Holly Carter, founder and Executive Director of BYkids, has been awarded the Global Media Educator Award in 2021 by The MY HERO Project
Pakistani Teacher Humaira Asif Awarded MY HERO Outstanding Educator Award
By: Deborah Neff, MY HERO Staff writer
Pakistani Teacher Humaira Asif Awarded MY HERO Outstanding Educator Award for her work with students and MY HERO.
Find more Award-Winning Educators in this organizer below:
Global Educator Award Winners
By: Wendy Milette
Honoring leaders in Global Education
Art
Enjoy the following artwork about global educators.
Betty Morgan
By: Robert Shetterly
Wendell Berry
By: Robert Shetterly
John Hunter
By: Robert Shetterly
MY HERO IS CHEIKH SECK
By: Antonio Mendoza
Related Pages
Learning Circle
By: Laura Nietzer
A Place for Educators to Learn About the MY HERO Learning Circle Partnership with iEARN
This joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education is part of our efforts to promote programs that prepare Americans for a global environment and attract future leaders from abroad to study, learn, and exchange experiences.
Learn about a New Hero Every Day of the Year: Visit the MY HERO Calendar
Students: Share Your Hero Essays, Films and Art through our Create Program
Outstanding essays submitted to MY HERO will be considered for a certificate/t-shirt prize or be featured on the Story Homepage.
International Education Week - US Department of State
