Oak Forest Teacher Earns 40K In Rewards From Southwest Airlines
OAK FOREST, IL — On World Teachers' Day, Southwest Airlines and Bremen High School District decided to surprise an Oak Forest High School teacher with 40,000 Rapid Rewards Points for his action to literally go the extra mile for his students.
Teachers are getting creative with remote learning to provide a fun and educational experience for their students. Mike Brown, a history teacher at Oak Forest High School traveled around the country to teach history lessons from locations history occurred.
Mr. Brown traveled along the east coast for a week, and taught all of his classes live from historic landmarks, such as the Boston Massacre site. Brown said he took the initiative to try to make remote learning engaging, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Southwest, along with Bremen High School District 228, surprised Brown Monday morning with his reward. Brown was not entered in a contest to receive this reward. The reward came after Southwest Airlines Heroic Teachers Program heard of Brown's actions.
So many teachers are going the extra mile, many simply by being there for their students. Happy #WorldTeachersDay Teachers: thank you for educating the next generation, as we all navigate a difficult chapter. Know a deserving educator? Tell us about them!
— Southwest Airlines (@SouthwestAir) October 5, 2020
Brown being surprised can be seen below.
Brown is just one of many teachers who was acknowledged by the Southwest program. He said he had no idea anything was going on and was shocked to receive the reward.
"I am flattered that anyone noticed... the whole response that I have received throughout all of this has been overwhelming and unexpected," Brown said. "What a great company to be looking out for people who are doing stuff like I did. Just the fact that they would recognize me or anybody, is amazing. I appreciate that."
Brown said teachers are doing their best during this time, and that he encourages them to continue to do so.
"Teachers just need to keep being who they are," Brown said. "Teachers have always had to adapt in the classroom, whether it's a pandemic or just a situation with a child that may have special needs. Teachers have always had to figure out how to do that. At this time it is really important for teachers to remember who they are and just keep being who they are."
This article originally appeared on the Oak Forest Patch
