The American Lawyers Alliance has named Gahanna Middle School South teacher Mike Browning the 2014 National Middle School Law-Related Teacher of the Year.

The American Lawyers Alliance has named Gahanna Middle School South teacher Mike Browning the 2014 National Middle School Law-Related Teacher of the Year.

Gahanna Middle School South teacher Mike Browning will receive the American Lawyers Alliance 2014 National Middle School Law-Related Teacher of the Year Award at its annual meeting on Friday in Boston.

Browning has taught social studies for more than 25 years at both the middle and high school levels, and currently teaches eighth grade American History. Browning has earned distinction in the past, including being named a “master teacher” in 2006 and 2008 by the History in the Heartland Program at The Ohio State University.

Since 2008, Browning has implemented the We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution curriculum in his classroom. We the People, administered in Ohio by the Ohio Center for Law-Related Education (OCLRE), focuses on the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights. The culminating activity for We the People is a series of simulated congressional hearings where students showcase their knowledge and understanding of constitutional principles and evaluate, present, and defend positions on relevant historical and contemporary issues. Browning’s students have regularly participated in the Ohio Middle School We the People State Showcase, and in the spring of 2014 traveled to Washington, D.C., to participate in the National We the People Invitational.

“Mike is an example of what a teacher should be.  He engages his students in rigorous, academic activities that teach the content in an enjoyable fashion,” said nominator Lisa Eschleman, OCLRE executive director.

OCLRE is a non-profit, nonpartisan organization whose goal is to improve society by developing citizens empowered with an understanding of our democratic system. OCLRE is sponsored by the Ohio Supreme Court, Ohio Attorney General’s Office, Ohio State Bar Association, and the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio Foundation. In Ohio, We the People is funded in part by a grant from the Ohio State Bar Foundation.