CRANDON, Wis. — The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) has named a Forest County Wisconsin teacher Global Educator of the Year.
Every year, the award is given to an educator who most uniquely incorporates a global education and the Wisconsin Global Scholars Program. It’s a program designed to improve global learning across the curriculum.
Crandon High School Spanish teacher Jodi Resch Brownell was this year’s recipient.
What You Need To Know
- Jodi Resch Brownell helped bring the Global Scholars Program to Crandon High School, through which students learn about the world, explore diverse perspectives, engage in intercultural communication and collaborate to address global issues
- Brownell created a Global Learning Guide for staff, and sustains lifelong learning through travel and professional development
- As this year’s Global Educator of the Year, Brownell will receive a Council on International Educational Exchange scholarship to represent Wisconsin on a visit to Morocco
Brownell said she’s always been interested in world cultures. She said she’s a travel addict and is addicted to Spanish-speaking countries, including one place in particular.
“I really love Mexico. I’ve been back there like over 20 times to all different places, and I just love the people in the culture,” Brownell said.
It’s because of her love of the Spanish culture that Señora Brownell is recognized as Wisconsin’s Global Educator of the Year.
Brownell brings her love of places like the Mexican city Oaxaca into the classroom through her YouTube videos and field trips.
She’s also helping her students build relationships with students in Columbia through online international learning.
“My students give the Colombian students instructions on how to make an American recipe and then the Colombian students will make the recipe and document it. Then we’ll do the reverse,” Brownell said.
It’s these experiences that Bryce Marshall said he appreciates. Marshall said Señora Brownell’s class makes him feel like the world is at his fingertips.
“We don’t get experience much outside of Crandon, but she is teaching the culture of the Spanish-speaking countries to us. So, we understand the true culture and not just how to speak the Spanish language,” Marshall said.
Josh Jaeger, principal of Crandon High School, said Brownell is so imaginative with her students because she’s been teaching for 28 years. Jaeger is a former student of Brownell.
“It is definitely strange at first… working with Señora Brownell. She is a phenomenal educator, has always been. It is amazing that she’s finally getting recognized for all of the efforts she has put forth each year,” Jaeger said.
For Brownell, teaching Spanish is the best job in the world and she said she hopes her students learn this life lesson.
“The most important thing is, is for kids not to be afraid to have adventures or to go interact with people who are different from them,” Brownell said.
The Wisconsin DPI awarded Brownell a trip to Morocco this summer to observe a study-abroad program.