April 3, 2025, Alameda, California — Alameda Unified School District (AUSD) announced this week that Mike Wong, a 4^th and 5^th grade teacher at Paden Elementary School, has been selected as the 2025 Teacher of the Year.

 

Mr. Wong — known as “Teacher Kramer Wong” by his students — has taught at Paden since 2011. He received both his Bachelor’s degree in Social Psychology and a Business Certification from UC San Diego. He earned his teaching credential from California State University East Bay.

 

In his application, Mr. Wong noted that his goal as an educator is for “my classroom community to be a safe space for each student to become empowered to be their authentic self, try new things, and take risks.” As such, he continued, “our space together runs on three tenets: critical thinking, problem solving, and altruism.”

 

Colleagues who submitted recommendation letters described Mr. Wong as a thoughtful, creative teacher who nurtures not only individual student growth but also school culture and leadership.

 

“Within his classroom, Mr. Wong creates a structured, nurturing environment that meets the diverse needs of his students,” wrote Paden Principal Tri Nguyen. “He skillfully addresses behavioral challenges with both tact and compassion, balancing high expectations with strong relationship-building. His classroom is a place where students feel empowered to grow.”

 

Over the years, Mr.  Wong also has established community-building traditions at Paden, such as the month-long Fifth Grade Olympics (designed to help students develop teamwork and leadership skills); “W$” (or “Wong Bucks,” in which students create their own businesses and then buy and sell items during a Friday Marketplace); and class elections for student “officials” who help govern the classroom.

 

“It worked fantastically as students were invested in selecting who they found fair and just, not popular, and those elected showed great critical thinking and problem solving,” he noted in his application.

 

Mr.  Wong also coordinates an after-school intervention program called “Paden Promise. “His efforts to provide these students with the tools they need to thrive, while also fostering a positive and supportive learning environment, exemplify his deep commitment to their academic success and personal growth,” wrote one nominator.

 

“A Model for Excellence”

A natural leader, Mr.  Wong currently serves as a district-wide Math Teacher Leader, serves on the Paden Play team, and facilitates the school’s Professional Learning Community. “Under his guidance, the PLC has become a space for meaningful collaboration, where educators share best practices, engage in reflective discussions, and grow together as professionals,” one colleague wrote.

 

Adds Principal Nguyen, “His classroom serves as a model for excellence, welcoming educators from across the district to observe and learn from his effective math instruction. His impact a teacher leader is felt not only at Paden but throughout the district.”

 

Teacher of the Year Process
Nominees for AUSD Teacher of the Year come from parents, students, staff, and the community. After being invited to submit materials (including a resume and letters of support), a selection committee selects several semi-finalists and observes them in the classroom and then interviews them before making a final decision. The other semi-finalists this year were Debramitra Guha (a fourth grade teacher at Franklin Elementary School) and Allison Leshefsky (an adaptive PE instructor who works at multiple sites).

 

“Teacher Kramer Wong is a skilled and dedicated educator who every day impacts his students, his colleagues, and our district as a whole,” says Superintendent Pasquale Scuderi. “Inside and outside the classroom, he is a model of an astute, responsive, and supportive teacher leader, and I look forward to supporting and learning from him over the coming year.”

 

“All of our Board send our deepest congratulations to Mr. Wong and all of the 2025 nominees,” says Gary Lym, president of the AUSD Board of Education. “This year’s nominations shine a bright light on the incredible talent and commitment we have among the teaching ranks of our district and reminds us of the crucial role our educators play in the lives of our students.”

 

Next fall, the Alameda County Office of Education will honor all the Teachers of the Year in the county, and Mr. Wong will have an opportunity to become Alameda County Teacher of the Year.