Redefining What’s Possible: A Fellow’s Journey from Eagle Rock to Teacher of the Year

At Eagle Rock School, we believe in transforming education by reimagining what’s possible – for students, for educators, and for communities. Through the story of one of our incredible alumni, Brian Counselman, we’re sharing what it looks like to grow as an educator at Eagle Rock, how that experience can ripple outward into a lifelong career in alternative education, and how our licensure program and teaching fellowship can be a launchpad for bold, compassionate, values-driven educators ready to do school differently.

Finding What He Didn’t Know He Was Looking For

When Brian Counselman arrived at Eagle Rock School in 2007 as part of the Eagle Rock Cohort ER43, he was looking for something real, even if he didn’t yet know what that meant. He had grown up in Wisconsin surrounded by influences that shaped his passions: a mom who was a teacher, a dad who loved the outdoors, and a natural curiosity that made him a bit of a generalist, eager to learn and try new things. Despite these early influences, Brian had been on the edge of walking away from education altogether after graduating with his undergraduate degree. He needed something to reignite his love for learning and teaching.

What he found at Eagle Rock changed everything.

“It was a formative experience,” he says. “Totally changed the way I think about education. I didn’t know how expansive education could be.”

The interdisciplinary approach, the outdoor experiences, the residential community – it wasn’t just about teaching content; it was about living a philosophy. At Eagle Rock, he wasn’t just learning how to teach, he was learning why we teach.

“Everything is a learning opportunity,” Brian reflects. “You can’t just read about experiential education… you have to live it. That’s what makes Eagle Rock different.”

Brian reflects on the powerful impact of the fellows, mentors, and students who helped shape his path at Eagle Rock. He found that the program’s intentional blend of structure and flexibility created the ideal environment for meaningful growth. Though the fellowship is designed to be short-term, the experience was deeply immersive and community-based – leaving a lasting influence on his teaching philosophy and approach to education.

Teaching as Transformation: From Fellow to Wisconsin Teacher of the Year

Today, Brian Counselman teaches science at Malcolm Shabazz City High School in Madison, Wisconsin, a public school known for its deep commitment to social justice, student voice, and experiential learning. In 2025, he was named Wisconsin’s Teacher of the Year, a recognition that speaks to his innovation, impact, and steadfast belief in student-centered education.

At Shabazz, storytelling isn’t just a tool – it’s a foundation. Brian and his colleagues regularly ask: Is this something worth telling a story about? That question shapes everything from lesson planning to fieldwork to how students move through their day. For Brian, the answer is often yes, because the learning his students do is vibrant, interdisciplinary, and deeply connected to the world around them.

He’s helped implement interdisciplinary block scheduling, led restoration and fly-fishing trips to state parks, and woven systems thinking and identity exploration into the curriculum. Field experiences aren’t enrichment; they’re essential. Schedules follow values, not bells.

This work is part of a broader culture at Shabazz, where students engage in community-rooted, project-based learning that stretches beyond the classroom. A recent Northside News feature highlights the school’s range of experiential learning labs, from civic action to storytelling to environmental restoration. And in a district spotlight, one student, August W., shares how those experiences helped them find a future in ecology – evidence of the real-world, life-shaping impact of the kind of programming Brian helps lead.

“Our job is to create moments of living in the school day,” Brian says. “We need to make school something students remember, something that feels alive.”

His Teacher of the Year award grew directly from that spirit, and from a grant he wrote through the Herb Kohl Foundation to expand project-based learning opportunities. When asked where that passion started, he doesn’t hesitate: “It all started at Eagle Rock.”

The Eagle Rock Alternative Licensure Program and Teaching Fellowship

Eagle Rock’s Alternative Licensure Program isn't just about getting certified; it’s about transformation. Designed for individuals who want to engage in meaningful, community-based teaching while earning licensure in secondary education, our programs offer:

• Immersive Experience: Live and work on campus in Estes Park, Colorado, as part of a close-knit community committed to rethinking education
• Individualized Support: Receive mentorship, feedback, and customized learning pathways that honor Fellows’ unique strengths and growth areas
• Professional Development: Engage in reflective practice, hands-on teaching, interdisciplinary curriculum design, and collaborative learning
• Values-Driven Culture: Join a community that centers diversity, inclusion, social justice, and the belief that every student deserves an education that reflects their humanity

For Brian, Eagle Rock wasn’t just a job. It was a turning point. A place that asked him to be brave, to be curious, and to be open to a new kind of possibility in education.

“This program is for people who think differently about what school could be,” Brian says. “It’s for people who are curious, who want to try and fail and grow, who believe in meeting people where they are and building from there.”

Ready to Reimagine Education? Join Us.

If you’re an aspiring educator, a dreamer, a disruptor – someone who believes that learning should feel like living – we invite you to learn more about Eagle Rock’s Alternative Licensure Program and Teaching Fellowship. Whether you're early in your journey or ready for a new chapter, this could be the space where everything changes.

Reach out. Ask questions. Apply. Let’s build something different – together.