Hovland named Springfield Teacher of the Year

Chad Hovland has been named the 2023 Teacher of the Year at Springfield Public School by the Springfield Education Association.  A member of the faculty for thirteen years, he feels honored to be selected for the distinction by his peers.

Chad grew up in Upsala, a small town in central Minnesota.  He graduated with a class of thirty students from Upsala Area Schools in 1992.  He continued his education at St. Cloud State University where he was part of the Inclusive Teacher Education Program and earned degrees in Elementary Education and Special Education.  “Tanya Pautzke was also in that program, so the best part of that whole thing was meeting my future wife,” he said, with a smile, in a recent  interview.

Hovland’s first teaching job was at Montgomery-Lonsdale.  After one year, he got a teaching job in the Farmington School District.  “I taught for eleven years in that Twin Cities suburb where we started raising our family.  Eventually, we outgrew our house and Tanya convinced me to relocate our family to her hometown.  I taught one year at New Ulm Public School before switching to Springfield High School where I have taught for the last thirteen years,” he shared.

Chad enjoys teaching and working with kids.  One thing he loves most about teaching is that no two days are ever alike and the students keep him on his toes with things that come up during the day.  “I try to be a steady and reliable resource for the students and the teachers,” he said.

See complete story in this week's issue of the Springfield Advance-Press.