Elementary Teacher and Doctoral Student Nikki Birkbeck Named Finalist for Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Nikki Birkbeck, an elementary science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics (STEAM) teacher at Goodnoe Elementary School in Bucks County's Council Rock School District and a two-time Penn State College of Education alumna and current Penn State World Campus doctoral student, has been named one of 12 finalists for the 2025 Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year Award.

Administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education in partnership with the National Network of State Teachers of the Year, the award honors educators who have made outstanding contributions to their schools and communities. Each district in Pennsylvania is eligible to nominate one elementary and one secondary teacher. From that pool, 12 finalists are selected based on their instructional excellence, leadership and ability to inspire.

As a finalist, Birkbeck has submitted classroom materials and an unedited video of her teaching and is preparing to participate in interviews and professional development workshops. The final award will be announced in December at the SAS Institute in Hershey, Pennsylvania, where the 2025 Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year will be named. The winner will go on to represent Pennsylvania in the national Teacher of the Year program.

For Birkbeck, teaching is more than a job — it's a calling rooted in her upbringing and fueled by a deep sense of purpose.

"I wanted to be the teacher who could help a student feel seen," she said. "And I think that's still the teacher I'm trying to be."

Birkbeck grew up in the same community where she now teaches and says that her passion for education was shaped in part by her family — her mother, a teacher trained at Penn State, and her father, an aerospace engineer who taught her the value of curiosity, perseverance and lifelong learning.

"My parents built our house from the ground up," she said. "And they built me, too."

After earning her bachelor's degree in elementary education from the Penn State College of Education, Birkbeck returned for her master's degree in curriculum and instruction, with a concentration in children's literature.

"That's where my teaching really started to shift," she said. "I began to see how I could bring more into the classroom — nonfiction texts, research-based strategies and opportunities for students to explore on their own."

Her passion for integrated, student-centered learning led her to pursue an D.Ed. in higher education through Penn State World Campus. She credits her Penn State professors and fellow alumni — especially those she connected with through the Alumni Society Board of Directors — for inspiring her to reach further.

"They showed me what it looks like to lift others up," she said. "They became the kind of educators I wanted to emulate."

Birkbeck is especially passionate about STEAM education, and her classroom at Goodnoe Elementary is a hub of creativity and experimentation. Through a combination of project-based learning and open-ended problem solving, she encourages students to take risks, learn from failure and connect their learning to the real world. Her classroom includes a computer numerical control (CNC) router she obtained through grant funding, which students use for design and engineering projects.

"I tell my students that failing forward is part of the process," Birkbeck said. "I make mistakes in front of them on purpose. I want them to see that learning isn't about perfection — it's about persistence and growth."

Birkbeck's commitment to modeling lifelong learning for her students is a major reason she decided to pursue a doctoral degree.

"I want them to see that you can be an elementary school teacher with a doctorate," she said. "You can break down walls — literally and figuratively — and still be an academic."

While she's not sure where the future will take her, Birkbeck says her dream is to one day work at Penn State — ideally with the World Campus program that shaped so much of her journey.

"Penn State built me," she said. "It gave me the confidence to see myself as a leader and a learner. And I would love nothing more than to give back to the community that gave me so much."

Her students are already following in her footsteps.

"Some of them are getting ready to graduate and go to Penn State," she said. "They say, ‘I remember when we said, ‘We Are' in your classroom.' And that's what it's all about — knowing that what we do doesn't end in the classroom. It continues out in the world."

Finalists for the Teacher of the Year Award will attend professional development activities, collaborate with other educators, and participate in a celebratory event in December where the winner will be announced. Birkbeck is eagerly anticipating the opportunity to connect with fellow educators and share what she's learned.

"I'm just so honored," she said. "It still feels unreal. I'm one of 12 finalists in the entire state. That's not something I ever imagined. But it's also a reminder that even when you think no one sees you — Penn State did."