Blane Burge
Bixby High School
At the start of the 2023-24 school year, Blane Burge assumed the position as head of the mathematics department for Bixby High School. In that first year, his students had a 100 percent pass rate in AP Precalculus. An accomplishment the BPS can be proud of.
“I was very proud when I found out I had a 100 percent pass rate on the AP Precalculus exam. I hold my students to a very high expectation and put a lot of the learning on the students. I try to instill a great sense of responsibility into my students and hope they will learn to see the work they do and the effort they put into the learning process will pay off with hard work and determination,” said Burge.
Burge credits a former professor inspiring him to become an educator.
“I think deep down I always knew I had a calling to be an educator. I started off in college with the hopes of pursuing a career in pharmacy. While I was a college sophomore, I tutored part time in the mathematics department. It was during that time I had an advisor comment on my ability to take complex tasks and break them down so any learner at any level could understand the task easily. They asked me if I had ever thought of going into education. I really thought about that and changed my major over to mathematics education that following fall semester,” Burge said. “I have to credit Dr. Darryl Linde, a professor at Northeastern State University, for steering me into my chosen career. I think back to my high school career and also credit teachers of mine such as Mrs. Linda Inman and Mr. Gene Madding as major influencers, too.”
During his career, Burge has spent nine years at Muskogee High School and is now in his third year with BHS. He is continuing his education with Oklahoma State University.
“In addition to being a mathematics teacher I am also enrolled in a mathematics doctoral program at Oklahoma State University. I just started this semester and am taking six hours of coursework. Aside from teaching and being a student, I enjoy reading, traveling, gardening, and tending to my classroom and house plants,” said Burge.
As for future educators, Burge said, “Oklahoma needs great educators with a heart and passion to prepare our young ones. We all know teaching is such a difficult career, but the rewards are exponential and the joy it brings to educators is worth it.”
