GLENDALE — Gagik Galfayan, an Armenian American educator at Woodrow Wilson Middle School in Glendale, has been selected as one of California’s five Teachers of the Year for 2027.
His journey began with his selection as Glendale Unified School District’s 2026 Teacher of the Year, followed by recognition as one of the Los Angeles County Teachers of the Year. He then advanced through the state selection process, which included a classroom observation and interview, becoming one of the five California Teachers of the year for 2027.
Galfayan is in his 14th year of teaching. He teaches seventh grade world history and CTE Digital Media and Yearbook Design and serves as the school’s History Department Chair. Before joining Wilson in 2019, he taught fifth and sixth grades in the Armenian Dual Immersion program at Thomas Jefferson Elementary School.
His story is especially meaningful because he grew up in the same community where he now teaches. His family immigrated to the United States in May 1995, and he attended Glendale public schools, including Horace Mann Elementary, Toll Middle School and Clark Magnet High School. He later earned his bachelor’s degree, graduate degrees and teaching credentials at California State University, Northridge.
As someone who learned English after immigrating, Galfayan brings a personal understanding of the challenges many of his students face. His teaching emphasizes helping students understand what they read, think critically and express their ideas with confidence. He also helped coauthor the Armenian American section of California’s Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum, contributing to the inclusion of Armenian American experiences in the state’s educational resources.
His previous honors include the California Council for the Social Studies’ Carol Marquis Global Understanding Award in 2024 and the Armenian American Public Service Employees Association’s Outstanding Teaching Award in 2019.
