Eric Hanby
Teaching Role
District
Cass City Public Schools
Eric Hanby is a versatile educator who teaches multiple subjects, supports diverse learners, and extends his impact beyond the classroom through leadership, coaching, and service to his school community.
An adaptable educator who brings learning to life across multiple subjects while also strengthening his school community through leadership roles, coaching, and a wide range of contributions beyond the classroom.
Since completing Talent Together, how has your role in education or your career evolved?
Since completing Talent Together, I feel like my role is constantly changing and evolving. I took the Michigan Test for Teacher Certification tests in a few different areas, and with my degrees and background, it has allowed me to teach a pretty wide range of subjects. I’ve co-taught with a special education teacher, picked up some coaching and extracurricular activities, including producing our school’s podcast, written a couple of grants, and earned my Class B commercial driver’s license so I can drive a school bus through our school’s in-house commercial driver’s license program. Plus, there are some other things I’m probably forgetting. It all depends on the needs of the school and my students.
What grade level and subject are you teaching?
With my certifications and background, I support a wide range of subjects. This year, I teach U.S. History, Sociology, Communications, Peer Mentors, and Technology, while also coordinating online students. I have previously taught Earth and Space Science as well. In our combined junior-senior high school, I’ve worked with students across every grade, from 7th through 12th.
How are you using what you learned through the Talent Together Apprenticeship in your classroom today?
I was a little different in that I didn’t have an apprenticeship per se, since I was already hired as a long-term substitute when I began the program. I was assigned a mentor teacher and supervisor, but I was in my own classroom. Classroom management is one of the biggest things that I think I gained from my training. It takes a little time to figure out what works for you, but it’s so important to establish your routines and expectations early so your year can flow smoothly. I was also very thankful for my special education class. I am not a certified special education teacher, but I have had some classes with a large number of special education students and have co-taught with a special education teacher who, as it happens, is another Talent Together alumnus and invites me to many Individualized Education Program meetings. So having at least a base of special education knowledge has been quite helpful.
What are some of your favorite instructional activities or routines you’ve been using?
I think guided notes and graphic organizers are core strategies for me. Personally, I always had a hard time (especially in math) deciding what was important enough to write down and how to write it without literally transcribing everything the teacher said. So if I can guide students to what is important and help them visualize it, then I think that’s impactful.
Additionally, I was recently introduced by a veteran teacher to Dr. Marcia Tate’s Worksheets Don’t Grow Dendrites. She outlines 20 different instructional strategies beyond worksheets that help students understand and remember content. I won’t name all 20, but a few examples include games, metaphors, movement, music, projects, storytelling, mnemonic devices, and word webs. I will be incorporating more of these to complement my go-to strategies.