Students Choose Daniel Brahier as 2001 Master Teacher at BGSU

BOWLING GREEN, O.--A local educator who stays connected to his subject by teaching elementary math and sharing his experiences with his college students is this year’s Bowling Green State University Master Teacher.

Dr. Daniel Brahier, an associate professor of mathematics education in BGSU’s Division of Teaching and Learning, teaches an eighth-grade mathematics class at St. Rose Elementary School in Perrysburg every weekday morning. He brings to his University classes what he experiences in his "other classroom."

Sponsored annually by the BGSU Student Alumni Association, the Master Teacher is chosen by the student body and is considered to be one of the highest honors given to a Bowling Green faculty member.

The award includes a plaque and a cash award of $1,000, and was announced at the 13th annual Faculty Recognition Dinner on Wednesday (Oct. 3).

Describing his work, Brahier has written that he thinks "it is extremely important to be integrated and connected in all that I do. My research impacts my teaching, as my teaching leads me in new research directions. In turn, my students are at the core of everything I do. They are exposed to the latest trends and ways of thinking as I write for publications and work with professionals in the field."

His undergraduate student nominator agreed that Brahier’s focus is student well-being. "I think he truly cares about the students he advises and teaches. I think he encompasses everything a master teacher should." She also praised Brahier for his awareness of students’ needs and for his encouragement of their critical thinking.

Brahier says that his greatest professional satisfaction comes from seeing his former students make their own career successes, from "knowing the torch is successfully passed and that my former students are opening the minds of hundreds of children to the joy of learning mathematics."