Michigan State Senator Dayne Polehanki knows a thing or two about what it’s like to run a classroom.

There is a growing teacher shortage in the State of Michigan. New research indicates we are running out of time to find solutions.

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Ten Michigan teachers have each been named Regional Teacher of the Year by the state’s education department, and are now in the running for the Teacher of the Year award.

Oak Park School District teacher Owen Bondono has been named the 2020-2021 Michigan Teacher of the Year (MTOY). The Michigan Department of Education said Friday Bondono learned he was named Teacher of the Year during a virtual conference call meeting with all Regional Teachers of the Year. Bondono will be entering his sixth year of teaching English language arts in the fall at Oak Park High School 9th Grade Learning Community. State Superintendent Dr. Michael Rice said the Michigan Teacher of the Year program is more than finding the best teacher, as that would be an impossible task. The Michigan Teacher of the Year is an important advocate and ally for teachers and students, Dr. Rice said.

Oak Park School District teacher Owen Bondono has been named the 2020-2021 Michigan Teacher of the Year (MTOY). The Michigan Department of Education said Friday Bondono learned he was named Teacher of the Year during a virtual conference call meeting with all Regional Teachers of the Year. He said its a challenge to keep his students motivated and engaged during the pandemic. RELATED: Heres what Michigan school districts have planned for the fall amid the pandemicI have been trying to give them tools and resources on how you move through a time like this in life, Bondono said. Bondono said he misses the one-on-one interaction, the jokes and other moments you can only get in a classroom, but not if that means sacrificing his students safety.

Walled Lake Schools' Melody Arabo was named the 2014-15 Teacher of the Year by the Michigan Board of Education. Arabo is a third-grade teacher at Keith Elementary School and has 12 years of classroom experience. "Being selected as a Master Teacher is an amazing accomplishment that I am very proud of," Arabo said. "However, my greatest accomplishment so far is being considered to represent the state of Michigan as an effective teacher in preparation for citizens of the world." Walled Lake Consolidated Schools will receive a monetary award of $1,000, funded by the MEEMIC insurance company, in honor of Arabo's Michigan Teacher of the Year award.