2023 Milken National Educator Award Recipient

Bradley Absher

Anne Arundel County Public Schools
Bodkin Elementary School
Math, Grade 4

Bradley Absher fosters connection and impactful relationships with his students at Bodkin Elementary School where he teaches fourth grade math. With a focus on multi-faceted instruction, Absher begins his class each day with a Number Talks warm-up lesson, an instructional technique designed to stimulate mental math skills through intriguing, real-world mathematical puzzles. His classroom is designed in small-group rotations with review stations, technology, games, and centers – all tailored to his students' individual learning styles and needs. Absher devises creative ways to integrate mathematical principles into everyday experiences, such as multiplying fractions to create a "No Bake Cheesecake," mapping distances between national parks, and guiding students in crafting artwork to decorate the classroom to reinforce his geometry curriculum. More than half the fourth grade participate in his Genius Hour. The response to Absher's instruction is paying off: students are exceeding both student learning objectives (SLOs) and district benchmarks for proficiency and growth.

Absher's leadership extends beyond his classroom's walls where he mentors not only his own students but also others in the school, offering after-school tutoring and unwavering support to students throughout their academic journeys at Bodkin. Actively involved in the school's extracurricular activities, Absher spearheads various clubs including STEM, SeaPerch, Math Mindset and both the board game and chess clubs. With a commitment to professional growth and personal excellence, Absher participates in the PTA, volunteers at events such as the environmental fair and math nights, leads the math action team, serves on the school improvement and leadership teams, supervises high school interns and student teachers, and leads the process for the county's Academic Achievement for All (AAA) math grant.

A positive role model in the broader community, Absher serves as a cooperating teacher for Anne Arundel Community College, where he attended himself before transferring to a four-year college. As a field work mentor through the Teach Institute where he supervises high school and college student interns, Absher provides aspiring educators with meaningful opportunities for learning during their time job-shadowing in his classroom, and he welcomes the chance to encourage and guide future educators.

Absher earned his Associate of Arts in teaching from Anne Arundel Community College in 2013, his Bachelor of Science in elementary education from Towson University in 2015, and his Master of Arts in Education (MAE) specializing in elementary math, from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), in 2023.