Teacher & advocate growing all students into confident communicators.

My mission

As Michigan Teacher of the Year for the 2020-21 school year, my mission is to:

Evaluate the effects of the pandemic on education and rethink best practices moving forward,
Help to create classrooms and schools that uplift students from all communities and backgrounds, with practices rooted in queer-affirming, anti-racist, abolitionist teaching,
Advocate for new and future teachers with the goal of recruiting and retaining teachers who align with the diversity of our student population,
Assist teachers, schools, and districts in prioritizing students' social-emotional health, and
Be a "possibility model" (in the words of Laverne Cox) for other trans and queer people in education and beyond.

I'm Owen Bondono, a teacher in Oak Park, MI.

I am an educator who focuses on growing students as empathetic critical thinkers and communicators in a space where they are safe and empowered. All students have a voice and unlocking their power as writers and speakers is at the center of my work. I am the 2020-2021 Michigan Teacher of the Year and I teach English at the Oak Park High School 9th Grade Learning Community. In my spare time, I’m a writer, the Detroit Municipal Liaison for National Novel Writing Month, and a Dungeon Master for my Dungeons and Dragons playing friends.

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