Nicolet Teacher Needs Votes to Win Radio Station Contest

Radio station B93.3 is holding a Teacher of the Year contest and Mark Wagner of is one of seven Milwaukee area teachers in running to win the grand prize.

The prize package includes a round-trip airfare for two from Air Tran Airways, a pair of tickets to Josh Groban at the Bradley Center, dinner for two at Jack Pandl's Whitefish Bay Inn, $50 Visa gift card from Educator's Credit union, another $50 Visa gift card from Mount Mary College and a personalized Teacher of the Year plaque.

The teacher with the most votes wins. People can vote as many times as they like.

Wagner has a long list of accolades, including:

• 1989: Fulbright Scholarship, where Wagner spent one year teaching English at a school in Hanover, Germany. 
• 1996: Kohl Fellow and featured speaker at the 1996 Kohl Fellowship Convocation.
• 2002: Named Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers.
• 2003: Certificate of Commendation from the Nicolet School Board for work with the German Honor Society Inner-City Housing Project.
• 2004: State Farm Foundation Service Learning Award for work with the  housing project.
• 2004:  Joined Goethe Institute Chicago’s Midwest Trainernetzwerk.
• 2006: Named Who’s Who Among America's Teachers.
• 2007: National  Honor Roll of America”s Teachers.
• 2008: State Farm Foundation Service Learning Award for work with the housing project.
• 2009: Elected vice president of the Wisconsin Chapter of American Association of Teachers of German; elected president in November 2010..

"It is gratifying to know that my work is appreciated," he said about being nominated. "Ultimately I am blessed to be able to do something that I enjoy and find very rewarding."

Wagner says that on average, roughly one-third of his students will join him on one of the exchange programs in Germany where they spend just more than three weeks with a host family, attending school and traveling.

"A second language opens up a new world to the learner. Different words, customs, and geography broaden a student's perspective," Wagner said.

But learning German isn't just learning a language. Wagner says it offers many more opportunities than just an additional language.

"German also provides a plethora of opportunities for kids to use the language
here, by taking part in contests like the University of Wisconsin-Madison's German Day or the ," he said. "Learning German also expands a student's critical thinking.  

"We have 16 words for 'the.'  That is daunting, but in mastering the system, students learn to think.  Ultimately studying German allows students to understand the world and themselves better," Wagner added.

There are six other nominees. Other teachers nominated are from Edgewood Elementary School in Oak Creek, Highland View Elementary in Greendale, St. Matthias Parish School in Milwaukee, Asa Clark Middle School in Pewaukee, Waukesha South High School, and Whitman Middle School in Wauwatosa.

"Knowing there are other very talented people in the running, I am trying not to get my hopes up," he said. "I would be very excited to win. I would use the airline tickets to take my patient and long-suffering wife somewhere nice.  For the past 20 years, she has had to take care of the kids and house without me while I take students to Germany."

Click here to vote. Voting ends at 11:59 p.m. on May 18. Winners will be announced on-air on May 20. All the teachers that were nominated were at one point as a B93.3 Teacher of the Month.