Sometimes schools around the country are criticized for not providing their students with the necessary skills they need for the real world. Junior Achievement is an organization that is providing students K-12 with those skills.

“So, there are a lot of different opportunities for students, and it’s helping them find the best path for them to find success in their career, to feel satisfied with what they are doing, and to meet their own financial needs,” Amy Gray, Junior Achievement District Manager for Brainerd, said.

The Junior Achievement (or “J.A.”) program provides teachers with free curriculum on a number of different topics, and J.A. also brings in real-world professionals to share their knowledge.

“How are they connecting some of the things they are learning with the outside world,” Gray asked. “How are these business professionals bringing their experiences and their knowledge to augment the lessons that they are receiving? So, it’s just trying to implement some of those life lessons that kids don’t have yet.”

A few weeks ago, Landon Brainerd was awarded the J.A. High School Teacher of the Year for the Upper Midwest region for his work using J.A. in his business classes at Brainerd High School.

“Definitely a huge honor, I think as an educator there’s not a lot of huge milestones, it’s more a culmination of little victories,” Landon Brainerd, J.A.’s Upper Midwest High School Teacher of the Year, said. “But, it’s a great honor.”

“I nominated Landon because he’s done such a great job of really providing wonderful experiential hands on learning for his students through Junior Achievement programs,” Gray said. “He was selected out of all the other nominees for the entire region.”

Mr. Brainerd was chosen among all the J.A. high school teachers in the upper Midwest which includes Minnesota, North Dakota and also parts of western Wisconsin.

“I think as educators we are not in it for the spotlight, we are just trying to do a small part to make the world better,” Brainerd said. “But, it just makes you feel like I’m doing a good job.”

Landon is excited expand on his use of J.A. this school year.

“I’m excited about this year, we are doing some of the entrepreneurship class, it’s going to be new, exciting, and it should be a really good year,” Brainerd said.

By — Anthony Scott