Running to the store to buy supplies for projects. Spending time with a student who is having a bad day. Making goodie bags for students who have undergone surgery. Setting up opportunities for students to showcase their work. Researching postsecondary opportunities. It’s all in a day’s work for art teacher Erin Harbar, this year’s recipient of the Michigan Education Association (MEA) Region 7 Teacher of the Year award.

Harbar, who has taught for 22 years, says she didn’t even know she had been nominated.

“I was pretty shocked and completely honored and humbled because that’s a pretty big award that covers a lot of school districts. It’s really exciting,” Harbar said.

The award criteria requires the nominee to:

• Collaborate with colleagues, students, and families to create a school culture of respect and success
• Deliberately connect the classroom and key stakeholders (ie: parents, community members, staff, administrators) to foster a strong community at large
• Demonstrate leadership and innovation in and outside of the classroom walls, including advocating for members, for the profession, and for public education
• Express themselves in an engaging and articulate way
• Promote public education within the community through charitable projects or activities which benefit students, families, and/or other members

Kathleen Ader, high school instructional coach and interim assistant principal, nominated Harbar because the art teacher goes above and beyond for her students and colleagues.

“She offers many opportunities outside of the school day for her students to come in and workshop. During the pandemic, she made take home kits for students so that they could still have the same experiences,” Ader said. “She is always there to help a colleague–whether it’s one of her art colleagues or somebody else–advocate for their budget needs, advocate for their needs in the classroom, any equipment that they need, and/or curriculum alignment.”

A large part of the MEA Teacher of the Year award is advocacy. Harbar says that being aware of the diversity of needs is important when advocating for students. 

“Needs are a vast amount of things. Needs can be what they need to make projects, but needs can also be what they need to feel good about themselves from day to day,” Harbar said. “The students are a big part of my heart, so when they need something, I really do try to get them what they need.”

For teachers looking to support their students, Harbar recommends that teachers connect with them first.

“Get to know them. Talk to them,” Harbar said. “If there is a little something extra that you have the time to do, I’d recommend doing it because the gifts that you get back, you know, are so much more and you’re going to find so much more joy in the teaching experience.”

Looking towards her future in education, Harbar says she’s interested in a change of pace.

“Because I’m so many years into my career, I’m probably at the downward swing of Novi High School in education,” Harbar said. “I mean, I could be here 8 to 10 more years, but I’d like to maybe do some different type of education. I might like to work with adults, but we’ll see; I’m not quite there yet.”

Regardless of what her future holds, Harbar says that Novi has become her heart and soul.

“I’ve really loved my job here for the last 22 years. We moved here, gosh, about 12 years ago because we love Novi schools so much,” Harbar said. “I’ve got two little Wildcats that aren’t so little anymore that one day are going to walk the halls of this high school and I’m very much looking forward to that. I’m very proud of the school and this community.”