Brad Absher’s rise to the top of the teaching profession started with a fall.

When he was a freshman in high school, Absher ’15 plummeted 35 feet out of a tree. He broke his back, and the injury ended his days of playing youth sports. Instead of suiting up, he became a volunteer coach for his younger brothers’ baseball and soccer teams.

“I loved working with the kids,” says Absher, 31. “From that point on, I knew I wanted to teach.”

As he progressed through Severna Park High School in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, Absher took a liking to math. It wasn’t just the subject that caught his attention; it was the way his favorite teacher taught it. Now, years later, many of his fifth grade students at Bodkin Elementary School in Pasadena, Maryland, would say the same thing about him.

“I think if you went into my classroom and you asked my students if they enjoyed being in my classroom, I'd say 99% of them would say yes,” he says. “But I think if you asked them if they enjoyed math, I don't think 99% of them would say they enjoy math. I kind of trick them into enjoying math because they enjoy being in my room. Once they're having fun because of the surroundings, they're a little bit more willing to take chances and risks.”

I kind of trick them into enjoying math because they enjoy being in my room. Once they're having fun because of the surroundings, they're a little bit more willing to take chances and risks.

Brad Absher

It’s an approach that clearly has worked. In April, Absher won the Milken Educator Award, a prestigious national honor recognizing exceptional educators for outstanding dedication to excellence in education. Some refer to it as the Oscars of teaching.

He learned that he had won the award—which came with, among other things, an all-expenses-paid trip to the Milken Educator Awards Forum in Los Angeles in June and a $25,000 cash prize—during a surprise assembly at the school.

“Bradley Absher’s dedication to excellence in the classroom is truly commendable,” Maryland State Superintendent of Schools Carey Wright says. “We thank him for going above and beyond by tutoring students after school and being active in the community. I also appreciate his ability to find creative ways to teach math skills and connect mathematics to tangible topics and places children can investigate and learn from through their experiences. Great teachers like Bradley have a long-lasting effect on a student’s success.”

Watch Absher's career-changing moment, surrounded by his Bodkin Elementary colleagues and students. 

Getting Schooled at TU

Absher’s journey to the head of the class began at Anne Arundel Community College, which he attended before transferring to TU.

“I'd always heard how great the teachers were that came out of Towson,” he says. “And I thought it was a beautiful campus.”

While at TU, Absher did internships in schools in Baltimore and says he met lots of new people who have impacted him professionally and personally. His wife, Kelly, also graduated from TU in 2015.

“Towson really challenged me as a student,” he says. “There was a lot of structure and rigidity. You're going into a career that's going to require you to be punctual, and you need to be professional.”

... as a teacher, you don't do it for the recognition. You do it because what you're doing is to help the kids grow and learn and build a passion for something of their own."

Brad Absher

After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education, he went to work at Bodkin, where he’s been ever since. He teaches fifth-grade math and science, spearheads various clubs including STEM, SeaPerch, Math Mindset and the board game and chess clubs. He also 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. 

It’s a dizzying amount of work, which is one reason Absher shed a few tears during the surprise Milken Award assembly.

“Last year was my ninth year of teaching,” he says. “I run so many clubs at school, I run so many programs, and it's not always the easiest because as a teacher, you don't do it for the recognition. You do it because what you're doing is to help the kids grow and learn and build a passion for something of their own. It was such an amazing feeling to be recognized for what we do.”

Teaching for the Future

Absher used some of his prize money to buy his wife a new car and himself a greenhouse. The couple welcomed their first child, daughter Blake, in the fall, and after six weeks of paternity leave, he was back in his classroom the Monday after Thanksgiving.

... making good citizens and making kids who care about their future and other people's futures is something that I'm really passionate about.

Brad Absher

“I really do love building those relationships with students,” he says. “And I love seeing that excitement and that passion that they develop throughout the year. You really do see that camaraderie and that they're there for each other. That's not something that's part of our curriculum but making good citizens and making kids who care about their future and other people's futures is something that I'm really passionate about.”