Michael Anthony Pope, a science teacher at Zama Middle High School at Camp Zama, Japan, shown here in the classroom in an undated photograph, was one of five teachers nationwide named to the National Teachers Hall of Fame for 2026. (Michael A. Pope)
Michael Anthony Pope, a science teacher at Camp Zama, the headquarters of U.S. Army Japan, considers himself one of the “forgotten ones.”
But Pope, who teaches at Zama American Middle-High School, will be remembered as the first teacher from the Department of Defense Education Activity to make the National Teachers Hall of Fame.
He was named on April 9 to the hall of fame class of 2026; a five-member group selected from a national pool of educators, according to a social media post on the hall of fame’s official Facebook page.
“I’m still processing all this,” Pope told Stars and Stripes during an April 21 video interview. “You don’t really think in the scope of … your impact being forever engraved in this honor.”
The recognition carries meaning for educators like those in DODEA who work outside the United States, he said.
“As a teacher who is not on American soil, I call us the ‘forgotten ones,’ ” Pope said.
The National Teachers Hall of Fame, established in 1989 in Emporia, Kansas, honors career educators who have made lasting contributions to the profession. Nominees must have at least 20 years of full-time classroom experience and complete a rigorous selection process, according to an April 8 hall of fame news release.
The 2026 inductees will be formally recognized during an induction ceremony June 20 at Emporia State University in Kansas. The hall of fame did not respond to requests for further information by email and phone on Thursday and Friday.
Since its first induction ceremony in 1992, about 170 educators nationwide have been honored. A survey of the hall of famers listed online shows none affiliated with DODEA prior to Pope.
Pope’s selection places him among a small group of teachers recognized not only for classroom success but for their broader impact on education.
Pope has spent more than two decades teaching, including nearly 20 years with DODEA, working with military-connected students who often move frequently and adapt to new schools and cultures.
Pope said his approach to teaching is rooted in relationships and personal connection.
“Teaching is about human connection. It’s about relationships,” he said. “Learning is personal. Until you decide it’s something you want to do, you’re never going to be successful.”
That philosophy shapes how he engages students in the classroom, where he emphasizes relevance and ownership of learning, he said.
“I strive to make sure students are not just learning content, but understanding how it connects to them,” he said.
That approach has left a lasting impression, according to a student.
“He helped many students, like me, find a love for science and the desire to learn more,” James Trim, one of Pope’s seventh graders, said via email Thursday. “Not only did he teach us what’s in the book, but also valuable life lessons.”
His work also extends beyond his own classroom. Pope said he has focused on creating opportunities not just for his students, but for other educators across DODEA, also known as the Department of War Education Activity.
“A lot of the things I’ve done … I set the groundwork for DOWEA teachers, because those opportunities did not exist,” Pope said.
Throughout his career, Pope has earned national and international recognition, including the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, the nation’s highest honor for STEM educators.
“One teacher can be impactful if they remember what they’re here for, and that is to promote the profession and to teach our children,” he said.
For Pope, the moment represents more than a personal achievement.
“It’s not about me,” he said. “It’s about we.”
