Page 1 - TTWIFall2023

Special Double iSSue

fall 2023, Volume 1

TEACHING anufacturing

TODAY WI ™ TODAY Wi tM

WiSCoNSiN’S 4K–12 EDUCaTioN CoNNECTioN SiNCE 1997 CoNNECTiNg & ExploRiNg MaNUfaCTURiNg iN WiSCoNSiN

Unity High School Science Teacher Successfully Connecting CTE

Selected as Wisconsin’s 2024 to the Community Builds Skills

National Teacher of the Year Representative In today’s society,

many careers require tech-
Year Program by a commit- nical skills. Students often
tee composed of educators, enter our modern educa-
representatives from partner tion system with limited
organizations, and past Wis- awareness of their poten-
consin Teachers of the Year. tial career paths. They may
“Brian is an exemplary not have a clear under-
educator, and I am so excited standing of the available
that he will be Wisconsin’s opportunities beyond their
representative to the National local influences, such as
Teacher of the Year program,” family, friends, and neigh-
State Superintendent Dr. Jill bors. Career and Technical
Underly said. “His energy, Education (CTE) courses
passion, and commitment to provide students with the
his students and community are opportunity to explore
inspiring. He would be the first career options, discover
State Superintendent for Public Instruction Dr. Jill Underly
presents Brian Collins his Teacher of the Year award. to say that he is just one part their interests, develop and enhance their skill highlighting the cross-disciplinary nature of
of the interconnected ecosys- sets, and establish connections with industry education that can be missed when we com-
The Wisconsin Department of tem that is his school; I would professionals. partmentalize education into its topics.
Instruction today announced the state’s respond that he plays a key role in fostering While specific work skills can change In Omro, I have been encouraging my
representative to the National Teacher of such an inclusive rapidly due to technological advancements, the students for the past seven years to engage
the Year Program and rich commu- core abilities acquired through CTE courses, with their community and address local issues
is Brian Collins, a nity. I am grateful such as analysis, reasoning, problem-solving, using their freshly acquired technical skills in
science teacher at “i love seeing education at work in to him for his lead- planning, organization, teamwork, and deci- a competitive manner. They apply these skills
Unity High School the quality of a person’s life and in ership in the Unity sion-making, are universally applicable to any to a wide range of situations, transforming
in Balsam Lake. the strength of the community. i am School District, in employer in any industry. These skills are in me (the teacher) from a traditional source of
Throughout his Wisconsin, and now high demand, making CTE coursework indis- knowledge into a facilitator and coach for stu-
more than 22 years eager and excited to serve as our at a national level.” pensable in today’s workforce. The practical, dents. This shift empowers them to challenge
at Unity, Collins state’s representative, both as a Earlier this hands-on exploration of various fields in CTE themselves, tackle significant problems, build
has taught general teacher and as a lifelong learner.” year, Collins was encourages students to integrate their aca- confidence, explore new interests, and take
biology, AP biology, — Brian Collins named one of five demic knowledge, and use it in conjunction ownership of their learning. One of the most
e n v i r o n m e n t a l 2024 Wisconsin with ‘just-in-time’ learning to tackle challeng- rewarding aspects of teaching in this manner
biology, human Teachers of the ing tasks. For instance, I recently overheard a is the continuous learning experience shared
anatomy/physiology, ecology, zoology, and Year in a surprise ceremony surrounded by student discussing how concepts and formulas with the students.
ornithology. He was selected to be the state’s students, colleagues, family, and community from her physics, pre-calculus, and engineer- Initially, this journey started with simple
representative for the Council of Chief State ing class challenges were interconnected,
School Officers’ National Teacher of the Continued on page 4 Continued on page 30

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