Posted 11:50 a.m. Friday, Sept. 16, 2016
Teacher of the Year recipient demonstrates an unwavering commitment to inspire students’ love of learning, instructional innovation and leadership, and community involvement.
An alum of UWL’s Master of Education - Professional Development program is the 2016-17 Wisconsin Middle School Teacher of the Year.
State Superintendent Tony Evers recognized Chris Gleason, ’02, as the Wisconsin Middle School Teacher of the Year during his State of Education address Thursday, Sept. 15 in Madison. Winners are chosen for their ability to inspire students’ love of learning, instructional innovation and leadership, and commitment to community involvement.
[caption id="attachment_46814" align="alignleft" width="250"]
Chris Gleason, '02, 2016-17 Wisconsin Middle School Teacher of the Year.[/caption]
Gleason, a band director and instrumental music teacher at Patrick Marsh Middle School in the Sun Prairie Area School District, was first announced as an award recipient during an all-school assembly at his school.
As part of the Teacher of the Year honor, Gleason will receive $3,000 from the Herb Kohl Educational Foundation.
“Wisconsin needs talented individuals to teach in our classrooms and inspire our young people to seek out careers that will fulfill their dreams,” Evers said. “A Teacher of the Year recipient demonstrates an unwavering commitment to students, and it is an honor to recognize educators who do so much for Wisconsin’s public schools.”
The Teacher of the Year program highlights the many contributions educators make to children, schools, and communities, said Herb Kohl, philanthropist and businessman, who co-sponsors the Wisconsin Teacher of the Year program through his educational foundation.
“They are leaders who put forth extraordinary effort to help all children achieve,” he added.
Gleason said his teaching isn’t about playing notes on a page or learning a new skill on an instrument. Rather, it is about looking at life through the lens of another human or artist; considering the viewpoint of someone trying to convey something that could only be said using music, explained Gleason.
He inspires his students to practice at home.
“Chris’s students don’t practice because he chides them or humiliates those that can’t keep up, or even because he is going to check their practice charts,” wrote a teacher in a letter of recommendation. “Chris’s students practice because they understand why it helps, how their brain actually functions and because they have a teacher that holds them in such high regard that he bothered to teach them about the latest in brain research.”
Gleason raises student outcomes while working to close the achievement gap through his Band Lesson Academy, pairing students with community musicians. He also secured funds through grants and donations to finance student lessons for families who couldn’t afford them.
A special project started in 2009, ComMission Possible, has student musicians collaborating with nationally renowned composers to write a commissioned piece of music for middle school band students. The first, based on Georgia O’Keeffe’s painting Blue and Green Music, had students intimately involved in the creative process, generating the core idea for Samuel R. Hazo’s work. The world premiere for Blue and Green Music was before a packed house in Sun Prairie. A later commission with Erik Morales paid homage to Apollo 11. Bringing the audience to the moon and back, the music contained audio clips of former President John F. Kennedy and American Astronaut Neil Armstrong, the first human to walk the moon. Connecting music beyond the classroom and into the world, students raised funds to travel to the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry to see the Apollo 8 capsule and the Apollo 11 Training Module. While there, students performed a concert, including a small piece from the commissioned music.
Gleason believes in the power of connecting music to civic pride, getting his students out into the community through smaller ensembles that perform at local events and larger performances at Sun Prairie’s senior care homes, the American Family Insurance Holiday Breakfast, and in the Memorial Day parade. His middle school bands have twice been chosen to perform at the Capitol Rotunda for Music in our Schools month.
Gleason is also a graduate of UW-Eau Claire with a bachelor’s degree in Music Education.
National Teacher of the Year
Later this fall, a committee will select one of the four Teachers of the Year from Wisconsin to represent the state in the National Teacher of the Year program. That individual will receive an additional $6,000 from the Herb Kohl Educational Foundation. Nominations for the Kohl Teacher Fellowship program are open until Sept. 23. Visit the Herb Kohl Educational Foundation website to nominate a teacher: http://www.kohleducation.org/
Wisconsin’s other three Teachers of the Year for the 2016-17 school year are:
High School Teacher of the Year
Sarah Breckley, a high school world languages (Spanish) teacher at Reedsburg Area High School in the Reedsburg School District.
Elementary School Teacher of the Year
Pamela Gresser of Hatley, a fifth-grade teacher at Rothschild Elementary School in the D.C. Everest Area School District.
Special Services Teacher of the Year
Barbara VanDoorn of Tony, a 4K-12 school counselor at Lake Holcombe School in the Lake Holcombe School District.
Chris Gleason, '02, 2016-17 Wisconsin Middle School Teacher of the Year.[/caption]
Gleason, a band director and instrumental music teacher at Patrick Marsh Middle School in the Sun Prairie Area School District, was first announced as an award recipient during an all-school assembly at his school.
As part of the Teacher of the Year honor, Gleason will receive $3,000 from the Herb Kohl Educational Foundation.
“Wisconsin needs talented individuals to teach in our classrooms and inspire our young people to seek out careers that will fulfill their dreams,” Evers said. “A Teacher of the Year recipient demonstrates an unwavering commitment to students, and it is an honor to recognize educators who do so much for Wisconsin’s public schools.”
The Teacher of the Year program highlights the many contributions educators make to children, schools, and communities, said Herb Kohl, philanthropist and businessman, who co-sponsors the Wisconsin Teacher of the Year program through his educational foundation.
“They are leaders who put forth extraordinary effort to help all children achieve,” he added.
Gleason said his teaching isn’t about playing notes on a page or learning a new skill on an instrument. Rather, it is about looking at life through the lens of another human or artist; considering the viewpoint of someone trying to convey something that could only be said using music, explained Gleason.
He inspires his students to practice at home.
“Chris’s students don’t practice because he chides them or humiliates those that can’t keep up, or even because he is going to check their practice charts,” wrote a teacher in a letter of recommendation. “Chris’s students practice because they understand why it helps, how their brain actually functions and because they have a teacher that holds them in such high regard that he bothered to teach them about the latest in brain research.”
Gleason raises student outcomes while working to close the achievement gap through his Band Lesson Academy, pairing students with community musicians. He also secured funds through grants and donations to finance student lessons for families who couldn’t afford them.
A special project started in 2009, ComMission Possible, has student musicians collaborating with nationally renowned composers to write a commissioned piece of music for middle school band students. The first, based on Georgia O’Keeffe’s painting Blue and Green Music, had students intimately involved in the creative process, generating the core idea for Samuel R. Hazo’s work. The world premiere for Blue and Green Music was before a packed house in Sun Prairie. A later commission with Erik Morales paid homage to Apollo 11. Bringing the audience to the moon and back, the music contained audio clips of former President John F. Kennedy and American Astronaut Neil Armstrong, the first human to walk the moon. Connecting music beyond the classroom and into the world, students raised funds to travel to the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry to see the Apollo 8 capsule and the Apollo 11 Training Module. While there, students performed a concert, including a small piece from the commissioned music.
Gleason believes in the power of connecting music to civic pride, getting his students out into the community through smaller ensembles that perform at local events and larger performances at Sun Prairie’s senior care homes, the American Family Insurance Holiday Breakfast, and in the Memorial Day parade. His middle school bands have twice been chosen to perform at the Capitol Rotunda for Music in our Schools month.
Gleason is also a graduate of UW-Eau Claire with a bachelor’s degree in Music Education.
National Teacher of the Year
Later this fall, a committee will select one of the four Teachers of the Year from Wisconsin to represent the state in the National Teacher of the Year program. That individual will receive an additional $6,000 from the Herb Kohl Educational Foundation. Nominations for the Kohl Teacher Fellowship program are open until Sept. 23. Visit the Herb Kohl Educational Foundation website to nominate a teacher: http://www.kohleducation.org/
Wisconsin’s other three Teachers of the Year for the 2016-17 school year are:
High School Teacher of the Year
Sarah Breckley, a high school world languages (Spanish) teacher at Reedsburg Area High School in the Reedsburg School District.
Elementary School Teacher of the Year
Pamela Gresser of Hatley, a fifth-grade teacher at Rothschild Elementary School in the D.C. Everest Area School District.
Special Services Teacher of the Year
Barbara VanDoorn of Tony, a 4K-12 school counselor at Lake Holcombe School in the Lake Holcombe School District.