Winfield native named Master Teacher

EL DORADO, Kan. - English instructor Cory Teubner was named the 2021 Master Teacher Award recipient at Butler Community College’s Professional Development Day in January.  Since 1973 the Butler Community College Education Association has selected a faculty member who exemplifies the qualities of student engagement, scholarship, exemplary teaching ability, service to the college and service to the association. 

Teubner’s honor also includes recognition by the National Institute of Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) at their yearly conference in April, which will be going virtual this year.  

Teubner was initially informed in November that he was this year’s Master Teacher Award recipient but was asked to “keep it on the downlow” until the official announcement in January. 

A Winfield native, Teubner is in his ninth year as an instructor at Butler. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy from Kansas State University and earned his Master of Arts in English at Wichita State University. He is a founding member of both the faculty development team and the inclusion team, which addresses diversity and general inclusion at Butler. Teubner also played a key role in the development of the PDX program, which focuses on students’ first-year experience in higher education. 

BCCEA President Terry Sader points to Teubner’s work with students as a significant factor in his selection as a Master Teacher, emphasizing that Teubner is highly regarded by both students and colleagues.   

“He’s well known as a very good English teacher.” 

For Teubner teaching during a global pandemic has posed challenges and created new opportunities for engagement. When Teubner’s split classes are in session, half the class is present in the classroom, and half is present via Zoom. Teubner has implemented small group conversations for his in-person students and utilizes Zoom’s breakout room feature to give remote students opportunities to collaborate. While students in past years might have taken face-to-face class discussions for granted, Teubner finds that now they are “more eager than ever to talk to each other.” 

Teubner cites his work with AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) for Higher Education as pivotal in his professional development.   

“It’s all about engaged learning. Students are learning and discussing together.” As a result, he has made steps to minimize classroom lectures.   

“I think a class has been successful if the students do more talking than I do.”