NEWFOUNDLAND -- There's a lot of learning that goes on in Mr. Soskil's classroom at Wallenpaupack South Elementary School in Wayne County.
The third through fifth grade science teacher is currently among 10 other teachers in the running for the Global Teacher Prize. It's comparable to the Nobel Prize, but for teaching.
"When you go into the teaching profession, you never expect this kind of recognition. You never expect that the things you love doing in your classroom are going to take you to places around the world," Mike Soskil said.
The contest, which is organized by the Varkey Foundation, will choose one teacher who made outstanding contributions to their profession.
"He has just opened up the doors to the world versus the little classroom that we all learned in," principal Mark Kirsten said.
From his classroom, Mr. Soskil's students have interacted with 70 countries.
They have even helped raise money for water filters which were delivered to the slum of Nairobi.
"It's really cool how he teaches us and he just teaches us new experiments and stuff," third grade student Alicia Gray said.
The winner of the contest will walk away with $1 million. While that might seem like a pretty big prize, Mr. Soskil says no matter what happens, he's already won.
"I'm now connected with some of the best teachers in the world. I get to learn from them and make myself a better teacher and a better person. What more can I ask for?" Soskil said.
The winner of the Global Teacher Prize will be announced on March 13 in Dubai.