Michael Geisen was recognized as the 2008 National Teacher of the Year by President George Bush at a White House ceremony earlier in the year, when he was presented with the crystal apple award. Mike is a seventh grade science teacher at Crook County Middle School in Prineville, OR. He is known for his innovative approach, community focus, and teamwork with other teachers.
Upon receiving this great honor, Mike had this message regarding education in the country which he loves and serves: "Let us all in America sincerely focus on the whole child, not just test scores or future adult success. The further from children one is, the easier it becomes to forget that we are dealing with real live human beings with legitimate needs, desires, and feelings. These young people are our equals. They are not simply numbers, conglomerations of hormones, or future products. All the latest
programs, fads, and statistics are meaningless to a child who isn't cared for on a deeper level. Whether you are a teacher or parent, businessperson or retired, young or old: reach deep down into each child with humor, love, and compassion and they will learn from you. They will learn much more than just how to read and write; they will learn they are wonderfully human."
After receiving a bachelor's degree in Forest Resource Management, Mike began a professional career as a forester, but he eventually missed the direct connection with people. Having spent several months as a teaching assistant at the University of Washington's experimental forest, Mike realized that he had been using the same skills as a professional forester that he had taught to forestry majors, but he had been using them alone. "One day on a rainy hillside," he said, "I realized why I was barely able to get up every morning; I needed to give. My vocation needed to have a deeper meaning, to have relationship, to have heart. I needed to teach."
During his term as National Teacher of the Year, Mike is serving as an ambassador for education, traveling around the country, addressing groups on behalf of the profession, and delivering his message that "a great teacher is a unifier of ideas, a unifier of people, and a unifier of ideas with people."
Also selected as 2008 National Teacher of the Year finalists were Lewis Chappelear, an engineering and design teacher at James Monroe High School in North Hills, California; June Teisan, a science teacher at Harper Woods Secondary School in Harper Woods, Michigan; and Thomas R. Smigiel, Jr., a teen leadership and science teacher at Norview High School in Norfolk, Virginia.
More information about Michael Geisen and the 2008 National Teacher of the Year program is available on the website at: www.nstoy.org
