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- Congratulations to Adam Kuehnel, Finalist for Minnesota Teacher of the Year!
May 8, 2018
Congratulations to Adam Kuehnel, Finalist for Minnesota Teacher of the Year!
This year, ABE came the closest it has ever come to having an adult educator named Minnesota Teacher of the Year. Adam Kuehnel, who teaches English language arts at the Department of Corrections Faribault facility, was among the 12 finalists for this prestigious award. The finalists were honored at an awards ceremony on Sunday, May 6, 2018. With Adam as a finalist, much awareness has been raised about ABE and corrections education in the state!
The Minnesota Teacher of the Year program, now in its 54th year, is the oldest and most well-known recognition program in Minnesota to honor excellence in education. The program chooses one teacher to represent Minnesota’s thousands of excellent educators. The Minnesota Teacher of the Year represents the profession as an advocate for education and spokesperson for teachers.
Adam was nominated for many, many reasons by his colleagues. A few of these reasons include: leadership around the statewide adult diploma, expertise around argument writing, service on the Language & Literacy Advisory Team, and, of course, his extraordinary gifts as a classroom teacher, an educator tirelessly dedicated to his students in a unique and challenging context for learning.
We are so proud of Adam for being one of only 12 finalists (from 167 nominations!). He is a wonderful representative of what we do and value in Adult Basic Education. CONGRATULATIONS!
KARE 11 did a wonderful piece on Adam, released May 3, 2018: “Top MN Teacher Works Behind Bars.”
If you’re curious, the 2018 Minnesota Teacher of the Year is Kelly Holstine, who teaches English at Tokata Learning Center, an alternative high school in Shakopee. You can read more about Ms. Holstine here.
