There's a new high school teacher of the year in Wisconsin.
Bradley Markhardt who teaches Agriculture Education at Black River Falls High School was named the best of the best in the state.

In a surprise ceremony Friday, State Superintendent Tony Evers made the announcement, awarding Markhardt $3,000 from the Herb Kohl Educational Foundation.

Evers says Markhardt was chosen because he's a quality educator, who is making a difference in the lives of students.

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PRESS RELEASE:

MADISON — In a surprise ceremony at his school, Bradley Markhardt, an agriculture education teacher at Black River Falls High School, was named Wisconsin’s High School Teacher of the Year for the 2011-12 school year. State Superintendent Tony Evers made the announcement during an all-school assembly. As part of the Teacher of the Year honor, Markhardt will receive $3,000 from the Herb Kohl Educational Foundation. “Teachers who receive this award are recognized by their peers, students, and parents as caring, committed educators,” Evers said. “They are representative of the quality educators who make a difference every school day for our students.”

“The Teacher of the Year program recognizes top-notch teachers who strive to help every student succeed, who work to improve the profession, and who contribute to their communities,” said U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl, who co-sponsors the program through his educational foundation. “The future strength and prosperity of our country depends on teachers helping our students prepare for work and their role in society.” “I view my role in education as a facilitator,” Markhardt said in his application materials. “I want to help each student grow in academic achievement and to empower students to think critically, solve problems, make quality decisions, and cooperate with others. This will enable them to become lifelong learners and active citizens.” Markhardt uses agriculture education’s three circle model of classroom instruction: rigor, relevance, and relationships. He establishes rigor in the classroom by creating lessons for a diversity of learners, provides relevance through Supervised Agriculture Experiences, and creates relationships through the FFA organization. He says that the work experience and participation in FFA provide his students with motivational opportunities to expand classroom learning into relationships and connections to life. Markhardt has developed many community partners to provide opportunities for his students. One partnership is a Land Lab.

The three-acre plot includes student garden and research plots as well as community gardens. With the help of local professionals, Markhardt’s students learned to lay survey lines for plots, construct a deer fence and amend the soil. They also constructed a system to catch rain water to assist with irrigation. His future goals include composting for the Land Lab. He also wants to expand the hydroponics system in the school greenhouse and forge more partnerships to bring more locally grown and fresh produce to the cafeteria. His principal, Tom Chambers, commends Markhardt for providing a hands-on learning environment for students so they develop character and see the connections between school and real life. Chambers also praises Markhardt as an academic leader. “He has been instrumental in improving teaching through his leadership in the academic collaboration group.”

Markhardt is confident about the future of education. “While there are definitely challenges, I do see many positive things happening in education today. I see students getting involved, motivated to excel, excited by the opportunities we present to them,” he said. Markhardt also noted that parents and the community support education through the home, by serving as guest speakers and field trip chaperones, and by providing supplies, equipment and expertise for classroom activities. In his nomination of Markhardt, fellow teacher Paul Kykken called him a humble, yet positive leader. “Brad exhibits a love of learning that is truly genuine. The field of Agricultural Science is complex and ever-changing and Brad regularly updates his curriculum and approach. This enthusiasm comes through to his students at all times.” Markhardt is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and earned his master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Evers will recognize Markhardt as the Wisconsin High School Teacher of the Year during his State of Education address Sept. 15 in Madison.