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Corey Bulman, who teaches high school language arts at Mound Westonka High School in Mound, Minn., is the 2017 Minnesota Teacher of the Year.
He is the 53rd recipient of the prestigious award, and the first from the Westonka district.
An independent selection committee representing Minnesota leaders in education, business and government chooses the Minnesota Teacher of the Year from individuals who are nominated and who then choose to become a candidate.
In his Teacher of the Year portfolio, Bulman said he struggled as a young student, but then he met a group of dedicated high school teachers who saw his potential. “This educational experience taught me an important lesson: education is a gift that is renewed every time it is shared,” Bulman wrote. “This fact has driven me to give to others what I was so graciously given all those years ago.”
“When I was in high school, it mattered a great deal to me how adults treated me,” wrote Sara Strother, a former student of Bulman’s, in a recommendation letter. “Corey was an adult who showed me he believed I was smart and cared about my ideas. He was honest, funny and made me believe in myself….Corey doesn’t just care about the people in his classroom. He cares about how to make them better people, thinkers and leaders of thoughtful lives.”
Bulman has taught at Mound Westonka High School since 2000, his entire teaching career. He holds a master’s degree in English education from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities.
Bulman wrote in his portfolio about the importance of teaching students to be discriminating news consumers. “Students today have access to information that seemed unthinkable even 10 years ago,” he wrote. “Classroom teachers in all disciplines need to help develop the skills needed to navigate this information landscape.”
Education Minnesota, the 86,000-member statewide educators union, organizes and underwrites the Teacher of the Year program. Candidates include pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade teachers from public or private schools. The Minnesota Teacher of the Year Program also receives support from the following organizations: The Radisson Blu Mall of America, the Harvard Club of Minnesota Foundation, United Educators Credit Union, McDonald’s Restaurants of Minnesota, Educators Lifetime Solutions, EFS Advisors and Education Minnesota ESI.
This article is reprinted from the Education Minnesota website.