Taylor Bussinger is a passionate and dynamic teacher who believes true education can never be finished. It is his mission to continuously grow personally and professionally, striving to give his best to the students who enter his classroom. Bussinger is in his 10^th year teaching eighth grade U.S. history and leadership concepts at Prairie Trail Middle School in Olathe, Kansas.

He received a Bachelor of Science in education with an emphasis on social studies from the University of Kansas in 2014. He earned his master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from the University of Kansas in 2018. He was a Horizon Award nominee in 2015 and won the Educator Excellence Award in 20I8. In addition to his teaching duties, Bussinger is the head boys basketball coach, head cross-country coach and the co-founder and sponsor of the school’s diversity council.

Bussinger imagines authentic learning as a continuous process that hinges on the educator’s ability to inspire the curiosity of young people. His classroom is full of energy and charisma used to captivate, inspire creativity, embolden student perspectives, promote dynamic dialogue and empower student intellect. As a social studies teacher, he believes educators are the gatekeepers of our democracy and that history is not something to be simply learned, but rather a conversation to be had and a past to reckon. Thus he is fervent in fostering an environment where young people learn more about themselves and others and how we can use our skills to unite and build up communities.