Greg Prince, Hutchings Elementary

“Kids can learn and have fun at the same time…”

Howell graduate Greg Prince has taught 5th grade during his 14 year career in Howell Public Schools. Currently at Hutchings Elementary, Greg says his job is more fun than it is work. “I think that school should be fun! Kids can learn and have fun at the same time.”

Mr. Prince didn’t always know what he wanted to be when he grew up. Then, a college friend told him he would make a great elementary teacher. “The rest is history. I feel like I’m doing what I was meant to do!”

As a 5th grade teacher, Greg teaches all subjects but especially enjoys Science and Social Studies. “I love to learn new things and I try to convey that to the kids.  There are so many cool things out there to study and learn, and I encourage them to be life-long learners.”
A very important message Mr. Prince promotes to his students is: You never know what you can do until you try. “Kids need to feel relaxed in the classroom where they aren’t afraid to take risks, yet know the boundaries and expectations you have set.”

Outside of the classroom, Mr. Prince works on many school-wide projects to energize students in their learning. For March is Reading Month at Hutchings, he created a motivational film series using a Star Wars theme to encourage kids to read. Mr. Prince is well-known for building community in his school. “I’ve been fortunate to work with great people.  I’ve learned so much from my colleagues over the years and have made great friendships.”

Greg’s proudest moment as an educator is learning how his previous students are progressing as they grow into young adults. “I keep in touch with many (former students) and it’s always great to hear how they are doing.  Even though I only taught them for one year, it’s nice to think you made a positive impact on their lives.”

Erin McGrain, Highlander Way Middle School

“What I love most about teaching is interacting with students and watching them grow socially and academically…”

While lots of great teachers seem to have been born knowing they’d end up leading a classroom someday, other equally skilled educators have discovered their true calling later in life–and almost accidentally. Erin McGrain, English/language arts teacher for 7th and 8th grade classes at Highlander Way Middle School, is one of them.

Having earned her first degree in psychology, Erin was already gearing up for a grad school stint towards an advanced degree in the subject when, short of cash, she decided to take jobs as a substitute teacher.

“Well,” she says, “I quickly fell in love with working with students in the classroom.”

And that was that: bye-bye advanced psychology degree, hello teacher training.

Now at the end of her second year teaching at Howell Public schools, Mrs. McGrain, an Eastern Michigan University Alumnus, says her number one goal is “to have a positive impact on student learning and achievement.”

Though Erin definitely feels she’s finally doing what she was born to do, she also admits that being an English teacher isn’t exactly a walk in the park. Her biggest obstacle? The curse of language arts teachers everywhere: there never seems to be enough time.

“The most challenging part of teaching is trying to work one-on-one with students. As an English teacher, it would be so beneficial to conference with each individual student about his or her writing, but the number of students we serve makes that very challenging.”

Perhaps that’s why Erin chose to found a Creative Writing Club at Highlander Way; to give students the individual attention and recognition essential to nurture their budding talents.

Outside of school, Mrs. McGrain is very involved in St. John’s Church in her hometown of Hartland, Michigan, where she volunteers as a religious education instructor.

When she’s finally done grading student writing, Erin shifts gears a bit and indulges in her secret passion: The Detroit Tigers. “My husband and I are huge fans and try and watch nearly every game,” she confesses. “Quite a social life, we have.”

Well, Let’s Go Tigers!  And Go, Mrs. McGrain!

Jennifer Starkey, Howell High School

“It’s incredibly rewarding to watch students grow personally and academically.”

Nine years ago, Jennifer Starkey was hired to teach German with legendary Herr Parr.  Now, she’s a Guidance Counselor at Howell High School.

When asked what attracted her to the Counseling Department, Jennifer explains, “I love the connections I make with students. It’s incredibly rewarding to watch them grow personally and academically.”

As a counselor, Jennifer spends time with students assisting them with academic goals, post-secondary goals, as well as personal goals.  “All students are unique, special individuals. I feel that high school students are especially passionate because they have so much idealism, unique opinions and ideas, and they feel they can change the world.  What a rewarding job to be around so much energy!”
While Frau Starkey held students to high standards as a language teacher, she has even higher goals as a counselor.  “I hope to successfully help students become citizens who are empowered and educated members of society, who are personally and academically successful, and who have concrete goals for their futures.”
Ms. Starkey adds, “One of the most rewarding parts of my job is running into former students and learning about their lives after high school. I am very proud of their personal and academic accomplishments.  I feel honored to have been a part of their educational journey while they were students here at Howell High School.”

Growing up in neighboring Perry, Michigan, Ms. Starkey relocated to Howell when she began teaching.  Jennifer has been extremely active in the Howell community throughout her career.  For the past 8 years, she has been the advisor of Howell High School’s Interact Club, which is a service organization that works closely with the Howell Rotary Club.  She also enjoys helping her husband with the Howell Unified Special Olympics Basketball team.  Jennifer is also a member of Livingston County’s Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma International, a professional honor society of women educators.  In her spare time, she also plays the flute in the Livingston County Concert Band.

Beth Baker: Voyager Elementary

“I love the students, their excitement, and being a part of their learning and growing…”

Beth Baker is a 5th grade teacher at Voyager Elementary.  Visit her classroom, and you’ll find a group of students in total awe and wonderment with learning–as well as with their teacher.

That kind of excitement in a class is contagious and can brighten up anyone’s day.  When asked what she loves about teaching, Beth said, “I love my job and am thankful for it every day. I love the students, their excitement, and being a part of their learning and growing. I love the laughter and the classroom community that is built each year together.”

Every teacher has a mission she wishes to accomplish with students, and Ms. Baker is no different.  “My hope as a teacher is that each year I create a safe, warm learning environment for all students. My hope is that I am ever changing,  always trying new ideas, and always reminding myself that it is all about the kids.”

Beth also shares that her proudest accomplishment as a teacher is “that a-ha moment that students have in their learning journey. It is so exciting and they are so very proud of themselves! They truly amaze me!”

Beth began her teaching career on an Indian reservation in New Mexico before coming to Howell in 1994.  This summer, she will be participating in her 12th youth mission trip, which takes her all over the United States.  Ms. Baker is an active member of Grace Lutheran Church.  She participates in local charity events, such as the Crop Walk and Relay for Life.  She is also an active volunteer for Recycle Livingston, as well as United Way.

Matt Gabbert, Highlander Way M.S.

“If students fail, so does Michigan…”

And now for something a little different…

Matt Gabbert, who began teaching English/language arts at Highlander Way Middle School in the fall of 2007, was not one of the teachers selected for this month’s educator profiles, though he definitely deserves to be.

Instead, we wanted to wedge in this invitation to read Mr. Gabbert’s reflections on teaching as published in the April, 2009 issue of the MEA Voice.

The Michigan Education Association invited new teachers to share their musings on the state of the profession and Matt, who began teaching English at Highlander Way in the fall of 2007, had plenty to say on the topic. In his essay, Mr. Gabbert cites effective teaching as the real key to long-term economic recovery for our state.

It’s no accident that Matt’s sartorial splashes often incorporate tasteful shades of green: he earned his B.A. in English at Michigan State. He followed that up by earning teacher certification at Eastern Michigan University where he majored in English and minored in mathematics.

Mr. Gabbert says, “The most enriching moments as a teacher are when you finally see that students are connecting to you personally and professionally in their studies. Anytime you reach a point where students value their own success as much as you do personally, then you know you are continuing to be an effective teacher.”

Click this MEA Voice link to read his essay online. You’ll find it on page 22 of the publication.

ADDENDUM: Following this post, Matt was selected as an exemplary teacher for May, as predicted. Congratulations, Mr. Gabbert.

Cindy Perlman, Freshman Campus

“I can’t think of anything more rewarding than seeing students proud of something they’ve achieved…”

Freshman Campus teacher Cindy Perlman is more than just a teacher of Family Consumer Science and English–she creates opportunities for her students to make community connections as well.  A former food scientist for a potato producer in Idaho, Cindy found her way back to her initial dream of becoming a teacher just 5 short years ago.  “ I’d wanted to be a teacher since I was in elementary school, but chose a different career pathway since there weren’t many teaching jobs available in the late ‘70′s–or so I was told.”

What would entice someone to make such a dramatic career change?  “What I love most about teaching is having the opportunity to inspire students to dream big, think outside the box, and feel a sense of empowerment,”  Ms. Perlman says.  “I believe that personal connections with the students are incredibly important. Those relationships are often what motivate students (and teachers) to put forth their best efforts.”

One of the classes Cindy teaches is called Freshman Focus.  In it, students gain a greater understanding of who they are, gain insight about the way in which they think and learn, as well as develop strategies to improve school performance.  Time management, organization skills and goal-setting are included in the strategies, which are intended to assist beginning high school students on a successful path toward commencement.   Ms. Perlman has been an instrumental person in creating this course to provide a sound foundation for our 9th graders.  “I hope that I inspire students to take a risk and attempt something they might have otherwise considered unattainable.   I can’t think of anything more rewarding than seeing students proud of something they’ve achieved, especially if they’ve ever doubted their ability to do so.”

One of the tremendous achievements of her students can be seen in an annual service project to benefit the homeless of Livingston County.  Ms. Perlman is responsible for this project, and the enthusiasm of her students has been key to its huge success.  “A Call to Action—End Homelessness” will be in its 4th year.  One hundred student volunteers raised over $9,000 last year, camping out on the lawn of the Freshman Campus for a weekend, sleeping in cardboard boxes with limited food and amenities.  Students also had to give up their cell phones and other electronic devices.  They learned a lot from this experience, and participation is expected to increase to 200 students this year.  The tentative date for this year’s event is April 24-25th.  Community members are encouraged to stop by and visit the participants, donate food or money, or any other means of support.

In her spare time, Ms. Perlman is also currently a member of the Teacher Education Committee at Madonna University and serves as an adjunct instructor in Madonna University’s College of Education.

Lonna Bemben, Northwest Elementary School

“Music teaches and touches us all inside…”

Lonna Bemben has spent most of her life singing and playing music. But when the time to go off to college came around, her parents had other plans. They didn’t think that society would value a musician or music educator as Lonna had been hoping to become.

With that in mind, Lonna dutifully went on to study nursing and became a R.N., beginning her career in a downtown Detroit hospital and, when her family relocated to the Hartland, working at the University of Michigan Hospitals. Caring for infants and children born with heart problems, she began using music to calm them and bring a little joy into their otherwise stressful lives. It worked. “And that’s when I fully realized the value of music,” she says. “It goes far beyond entertainment,”  Lonna adds. “Music teaches and touches us all inside.”

Lonna returned to school to obtain a music education degree at Eastern Michigan University. Now enjoying her eighth year of teaching with Howell Public Schools,  she currently teaches general music at Northwest Elementary School. “I have the best job in the world. I get children excited about learning. I get to lead them towards discovering how music integrates with all subject areas. I get to share with them how cultures have used music when they had nothing else left to hold on to; how we celebrate the good times with music and how we mourn  with it as well.  Music brings learning alive and brings meaning to learning.  It’s about seeing a child’s face light up when something touches them deep inside and they make a connection. That’s what teaching is all about,” Mrs. Bemben asserts.

In addition to teaching, Lonna is married and a mother of three children. Her eldest son Christopher is graduating from Ferris State this year with a degree in accounting and her second son Jonathan is a freshman at University of Detroit-Mercy studying biology and playing lacrosse. Her third son Ross is a junior at Hartland High School. Ross plays tennis and lacrosse and hopes to further his education in engineering in a couple of years.

Is there a lesson to be learned in Mrs. Bemben’s story?  Sure: when you hear that distant music of your true calling, pay attention and  follow it. If you’re as persistent as Lonna, you’ll catch up, no matter how long it takes to get there.

Dallas Tatman, Three Fires Middle School

“I love knowing that what I am doing now will pay dividends for students…”

Dallas Tatman is an extremely dynamic instructor of 7th grade Eastern Hemisphere studies at Three Fires Middle School.  When asked what he loves about teaching, Mr. Tatman says, “I love knowing that what I am doing now will pay dividends for students both academically and professionally as they continue their careers.”  Having spent a decade in the Howell School District, Dallas is responsible for developing as well as teaching the History vs. Hollywood course of study that is offered as an “encore” choice for students.

Mr. Tatman not only strives to instill in his students a love of learning, he wants them to celebrate it!  “Just as art can be appreciated for the sake of art, learning for the sake of learning should be celebrated.  I want my students to be voracious, yet savvy consumers of information.  If they question the ‘why’ behind the ‘what’, then I will have been successful”.  In addition to giving his students a thirst for knowledge, Dallas also strives to build community within his classroom.  “I hope to create an environment in which they feel a social responsibility to treat each other with kindness and understanding.  Watching them mature and take responsibility for the success and happiness of their peers is a rewarding experience.”

So what is it about teaching that makes it so worthwhile for this Howell teacher?  “My proudest moments occur when classes get so excited about learning and being a community that it becomes the ‘cool’ thing to do.  Seeing students experience success and then building on that success is probably the most gratifying part of teaching.  It involves breaking down barriers that some students have built up for years.”

Mr. Tatman is also a proud father of a daughter currently attending Highlander Way Middle School.

Davalyn Kafka, Challenger Elementary.

“I love teaching children because I love children…”

For 35 years in the Howell Public Schools District, Davalyn Kafka has been a first grade fixture.  She began the first half of her career at Southeast Elementary, and the other half on the west side of town at Challenger Elementary.  One year between, she taught at Southwest.

What is it about teaching that keeps teachers like Ms. Kafka refreshed year after year?  “I love teaching children because I love children.  I love their honestly, forgiving nature, natural humor and all the hugs and warm smiles I get.  I love to see their faces light up when they figure out that they are reading and I love it when I can make them feel better about the littlest thing.  I feel so blessed to have chosen a career that I have loved and continue to love every day.”

Ms. Kafka strives to accomplish many things with her first grade students.  “I always hope that I will instill a feeling of self-worth in every child, as well as a love of reading and of learning.   I try to encourage them to do their best daily and to take responsibility for their learning.  I explain to them that we both have jobs in school; mine is to teach and their job is to learn as much as they can.”

Davalyn reflects over many rewarding experiences during her teaching career.  “Some of the greatest ones would be when children come back and tell me how much they enjoyed our time together.  Another would be when I am invited to graduation parties, celebrations and even weddings of former students.  One more would be when former students tell me that I played a part in their career choice of becoming a teacher.  That is a great compliment.”

Ms. Kafka has spent her life work in the Howell district, but is a community member here as well.  Her children are all graduates of Howell.  When she is not in the classroom, Davalyn enjoys traveling to Europe with her daughter, as well as visiting with former high school classmates regularly at Lake Michigan.  She also likes to roll up her sleeves and sharpen her culinary skills, and is an ardent fan of the Food Channel.  In recent years, Davalyn has also given to her community serving as a Big Sister to a former student, and also coached Girls on the Run at Challenger after school.

Zack Kasprzak, Howell High School

“I love the opportunity to excite students about science and encourage critical thinking and analysis.”

High School Science teacher and swim coach Zach Kasprzak has the best of both worlds: he builds relationships with students both inside and outside the classroom.

Enjoying 6 years in the Howell District of his 9 year career, Zach currently teaches Physics and Chemistry. “I love the opportunity to excite students about science and encourage critical thinking and analysis.” He adds ambitiously, “My ultimate hope in teaching is to be part of training the greatest generation of Americans since the WWII generation to reassert America’s prestige in the world.”

High hopes and energy permeate his diligent efforts with students, both in academics and athletics. Outside the classroom, Zach has been actively involved in the Howell Swimming Community. He has been the Head Coach for the Varsity Girls Swim Team for 4 seasons, and he is the current Head Coach of the 2nd year Boys Varsity Team. His team rules the pool, winning 9 meets this season, as well as taking first place in the Lakeland Invitational.

Outside of the fast lane, Zach enjoys outdoor activities like fishing and hunting. He also plays the guitar and the banjo. Zach and his wife live in the Howell District with their son and daughter who attend Southwest Elementary, as well as their young twin boys.