Anthem’s Teacher of the Year Transforms Education
Writer Shannon Severson // Photography by Loralei Lazurek
In a vibrant classroom at Boulder Creek High School where history comes alive through card games and comic-style heroes, it’s hard to imagine that Emmett Burnton, Arizona’s 2025 Teacher of the Year, once sat on the other side of the desk as a troubled student who loathed school. Plagued by poor grades, disciplinary issues and a profound lack of motivation, his turbulent academic history stands in stark contrast to his current role as an acclaimed educator.
This Boulder Creek High School history teacher has defied the odds, transforming from troubled student to inspiring educator. He is now poised to travel to Washington to be honored for the profound difference he has made in his own classroom and in the wider sphere of education with “Duel of Fates,” a game he invented to make history more engaging.
Where he once languished, now he innovates. He will receive an honorary doctorate from Northern Arizona University and speak at their upcoming graduation ceremonies. His trip to the nation’s capital will involve meeting with 55 fellow top teachers, federal department heads and possibly the president. It’s a long way from his younger days when he dreaded going to school each day.
“When you’re a child going through difficult things, you don’t know how to cope,” Burnton recalls of his troubled school years, admitting that he developed a negative mindset and mistreated fellow students and his teachers. “I never had an answer for what was going on; there was this adolescent ambiguity, a sense of loss and struggle to find where I fit in.”
An interest in comic books started him on a path of creativity, and he began drawing his own, developing storylines and reading more. In the final years of high school, his grades rose enough that he earned some scholarships to Northern Arizona University. When his twin sister chose a creative route for her college major and got a less-than-enthusiastic response from the family, he somewhat arbitrarily said he was going to be a teacher.
“I kind of fell backward into it,” Burnton recalls. “I was lucky enough to have college roommates who were into creative things. I gave them a script I’d written, and they described it as Machiavellian, referencing the social contract. I had to research that and fell in love with philosophy, big ideas, big theories and humanism.”
His first teaching job was as a substitute at Boulder Creek High School. Partway through the first semester, there was an opening for a U.S. and world history teacher, and he joined the faculty full time. His own ideology and personal identity took shape, and he was intentional about reaching students in a way that would challenge them to learn while examining and developing reasoning behind their own beliefs.
“The big thing was having that authentic buy-in as the teacher,” Burnton observes, reflecting upon how his own school experiences influence the way he teaches and engages students today. “Students see it and they see your value, they see you’re trying. And then there is adapting to what students need and how I can reach them on their level.”
Burnton, who graduated from Northern Arizona University and received a Master of Arts degree in history from Arizona State University, says student agency is one of the principles at the center of his teaching philosophy. He points out that many historical figures made a difference at a young age.
“Kids think that they have to get to a certain age to have their voices heard,” he observes, adding that he expanded from looking forward to teaching solely on the Enlightenment and American Revolution to enthusiastically analyzing China, power dynamics and the ramifications of corrupt bureaucracies. “Students see that what I am teaching is not about political standing but the world in the way it is, how it got there and what we can do together.”
In his Advanced Placement classroom, he teaches the “HIPP” curriculum — historical context, intended audience, perspective and point of view. Burnton presents the framing of news and current events, prompting students to pick apart how narratives are shaped and then encouraging them to look at history through a similarly critical lens.
“It’s history with a purpose,” Burnton explains, emphasizing the value of discussion-based topics. “We discuss the big questions of the universe — free will, why do I believe what I believe? What is the context? I encourage them to question me, their parents, their beliefs. I’m part of the machinations of the world. I always have a willful target on my back. I don’t want them to say, ‘Mr. B says so, it must be right.’”
Burnton wants students to make connections that stick and for which they have well-thought-out reasoning. He has developed multiple approaches to reach a student population who learns in different ways yet are bombarded by the distractions of screens and social media, resulting in short attention spans. High schoolers are also expected to have high GPAs, sports participation and a thriving social life for college acceptance. The pressures on teachers and students are monumental. Instead of giving up, Burnton takes it as a challenge to let creativity guide him.
“I find new ways of meeting the ‘brain rot,’” he says with a laugh. “I’ve recorded myself playing video games and lecturing over it, using a script that was Gen Z ‘brain rot.’ I made a horrifying Stalin assignment that was all in baby talk. I’m finding new ways to meet them at their level and also expressing myself.”
He also has a flexible approach for students to express themselves in the way they present assignments. In one memorable project, a student chose to present the subject of the Russian Revolution through interpretive dance — expressing love, violence, rebellion and revolt through movement.
In his game, “Duel of Fates,” Burnton mixes comic book-style heroes and villains in a game that mimics the Yu-Gi-Oh and Pokemon card games that he and his students grew up playing. Artists from around the world were hired to illustrate the game’s more than 200 cards.
Two players choose 40 cards each and take turns making moves to dominate the game.
“Each card has two sentences about the historical figure,” Burnton says. “For example, Karl Marx’s superpower is to redistribute attack power on the field.”
The walls of his classroom are adorned with 40 poster-sized renditions of the cards, which have been a hit with teachers, students and homeschooling families who purchase the game online. His own students can sign up to borrow one of his 30 copies of the game available in his classroom. Every set is nearly always checked out.
Burnton describes some of the cards as being a bit more mature — Upton Sinclair being depicted as a sort of “meat zombie,” for example — but he emphasizes that cards like this could simply be removed and saved for when students are a bit older.
While the game and its quirky characters are amusing, context clues and important details are present on every card.
“The game builds analytical skills, allowing students to break down why each one is drawn the way it is,” Burnton explains. “Some kids gravitate toward it and some don’t. Some need books and some need the card game.”
Burnton credits the freedom to develop and utilize such innovative teaching methods to his professional learning community, led in his academic subject area by social studies department coordinator Ryan Donovan, who also teaches Advanced Placement U.S. history. While there are a dozen hard and fast standards that must be taught each year, those center more on skills than content. This freedom of approach is what Burnton hopes will draw new individuals to the teaching profession and help retain current teachers.
“It’s important to encourage creativity and bringing yourself to the job, even for older teachers. We each bring our own perspectives and analysis. For me, I think content is important — especially in history — but you can let creativity be a guide for yourself and for students.”
He regularly addresses aspiring teachers, including at his alma mater, and says he’s encouraged by growing interest in the field.
“I was just at NAU with hundreds of kids who want to be teachers,” he says enthusiastically. “They are super passionate. I have a lot of faith in the future of education.”
Another key element of his teaching success is Burnton’s transparency and communication with parents. He uses a growth mindset, making videos to send to parents. As a result, his relationships with students and parents have been extremely successful.
“The more proactive you can be as a teacher, the more successful you are,” he says. “I have kids from all backgrounds; I’m a teacher for everyone.”
Transparency paired with creativity and effective use of technology is changing the field for the better. Teachers are making videos, and Deer Valley Superintendent Dr. Curtis Finch now has a podcast. Burnton says walls between families and educators break down when lines of communication are open and parents develop faith in their children’s teachers.
“The more we compartmentalize, the more disconnected we will forever be,” Burnton says. “It has divided us and lets us be in our own bubbles. I want parents and students to know they are protected in this classroom. You can navigate the world outside the bubble and learn to navigate and approach people who have different mentalities.”
As Burnton looks toward the future of education, he remains steadfastly encouraged by the passion and engagement he sees in his students and in future educators. Embracing the power of open dialogue and critical thinking, he believes that the teaching field will continue to evolve, fostering deeper connections and spurring transformative conversations.
Burnton’s journey from troubled pupil to acclaimed Arizona Teacher of the Year serves as a powerful testament to the profound impact that dedicated educators can have. Through an unwavering commitment to student agency, creative teaching methods and transparent communication, Burnton transforms the lives of his students and inspires the next generation of teachers who will follow in his footsteps.
As he is welcomed into the halls of power in Washington to be honored as one of America’s top teachers, Burnton is a shining example of the vital role passionate, innovative educators play in shaping the minds and futures of the nation’s youth. In his Boulder Creek classroom, he’ll continue to blaze a trail of excellence, cementing a legacy that will undoubtedly inspire others to answer the call to teach, guide and empower the leaders of tomorrow.
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