Owen Bondon, College of Education alumnus named the 2020-2021 Michigan Teacher of the Year
Congratulations to alumnus (B.S. Ed., '15) Owen Bondono on being named the 2020-2021 Michigan Teacher of the Year by the
Michigan Department of Education! He majored in secondary education and earned certification in English 6-12 and English as a Second Language 6-12. A teacher at the Oak Park High School 9th Grade Learning Community, Bondono will be entering his sixth year of teaching English language arts in the fall.
More than 400 teachers were nominated last fall. Bondono was named the Region 10 Teacher of the Year in May. He was chosen Michigan Teacher of the Year after a process that included interviewing with a panel of statewide education stakeholders, presenting a professional development module, and responding to questions about issues teachers face today.
“Every teacher has their own purpose, and once you find it, let it be a guiding light for every decision you make in your classroom.” Bondono wrote in his MTOY application. “Ultimately, teaching is an expression of my love of humanity. My way of making my mark on the world is making the next generation better. I know that growing the next generation of humanity is a community effort, so I will create that community wherever I find it... If we could provide every student with a classroom where they feel safe and seen, we would see learning increase by any metric.”