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Finding his calling wasn’t an exact science
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Neighbors | Shaiyla Hakeem .Ryan Barrett, 24, is the youngest and one of the newest full-time faculty members at Boardman Glenwood Middle School. He teaches sixth-grade science.
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Neighbors | Shaiyla Hakeem .Boardman Glenwood Middle School science teacher Ryan Barrett asked his sixth-grade class questions from their homework assignment. This is his first full-time teaching position.
It took Ryan Barrett a while, but he finally figured out what he wanted to be when he grew up.
The 24-year-old sixth-grade science teacher is the youngest and one of the newest full-time faculty members at Boardman Glenwood Middle School.
Graduating from Niles in 2004, Barrett obtained a bachelor’s degree in middle level education, with a concentration in science and social studies, from the University of Akron in 2009.
Barrett didn’t discover his passion for teaching until his senior year of high school. He said he had planned on going to college to study business, but after coaching his younger brother’s basketball team, he couldn’t resist the urge to instruct.
“I just fell in love with coaching and then I realized, ‘Hey, maybe I could do this on a daily basis,’’” he said. “That is why I went into teaching. I love to teach.”
According to Barrett, he was a history buff while growing up and science was not a huge interest. He participated in several history days, but not many science fairs.
“I was one of those kids who wanted to go to Gettysburg,“ he said. “But when I got to college, my views changed.”
Through his college courses, Barrett was exposed to science in a whole new light. He said science encompasses several hands-on and engaging activities for students and that interested him.
In addition to his duties as a science teacher at Glenwood, Barrett is the freshman basketball coach at Niles. He loves working with teenagers and middle-schoolers because he thinks they are at turning points in their lives.
“These kids are at a unique part of their lives, going through changes growing up,” he said. “I want to be able to help them go through some of the changes and dealing with some of the problems.”
When applying for teaching positions, Barrett said he was well aware of Boardman’s reputation for academic excellence. He is honored to work in Boardman and plans to one day advance to an administrative position.
“I am very fortunate to be here and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else, including Niles,” Barrett said. “This is a great school district to be in.”