Passion Burkhalter Bradley, daughter of Pastor Earl and Carolyn Burkhalter, has been named as a Top Tier Educator in the state of Oklahoma. She will be honored during halftime of the OU Women’s basketball game in Norman on Feb. 24.
Bradley was one of 900 educators nominated for the honor and was among the top 20 selected as a Master Educator. Each of those teachers will be awarded a $20,000 award with $15,000 going to the school where they teach and $5,000 going to the educator. Funding for the award is provided by the Oklahoma Energy Resources Board.
“I always wanted to be a teacher. My dad is a preacher and a teacher and I always got along with kids and understood them,” Bradley said. “I graduated from high school in 1993 and worked in a day care center while I was in college.”
After obtaining her teaching degree, Bradley went to work as a teacher and has taught elementary and middle school for 24 years.
“Naturally, Lady C and I are very proud of the Master Educator that Passion has become. She has devoted her life to teaching,” Pastor Burkhalter said. “I’m especially proud of her success and her determination. When she was working on her Associate’s degree at Butler Community College, one of her instructors told her she would never be successful as an educator. She’s proven that instructor so wrong and I think it’s proof that you should never let anyone rob you of your dreams.”
