Chad Miller, an English teacher at Kailua High School, is Hawaii’s 2012 Teacher of the Year.

The announcement was made this afternoon at a ceremony at Washington Place.

Miller, who has taught at Kailua High since 2005, has been a teacher for seven years.

In his application for the award, Miller said to explain why he became a teacher he “must first go all the way back to kindergarten.”

“This is when learning was engaging,” he wrote. “I vividly remember instances where the playground was used as our laboratory.”

Miller, who is seeking a doctoral degree in educational foundation, believes in setting clear expectations for students.

“Student inquiry becomes the main driver for English instruction and every assignment requires students to demonstrate their thinking and reasoning,” the Department of Education said, in announcing Miller’s selection.

Miller is in the running for the National Teacher of the Year.