Hubbard teacher wins one of 10 Ohio teacher of the year awards

By Sarah Lehr

slehr@vindy.com

HUBBARD

When Daniel Scarmack was a little boy, he used to write out questions for his siblings and then grade their answers for fun.

Scarmack, one of 10 Ohio teachers to win a district-level Teacher of the Year award, knew early on that he wanted to be a teacher.

His 10th-grade English teacher, however, didn’t share that vision. She told him he wasn’t “college material” and would not amount to much, Scarmack said.

“That kind of motivated me,” Scarmack said. “I knew at that point that I was going to set out to be the best teacher that I could possibly be.”

Scarmack, who graduated from Pennsylvania State University, said he had other teachers who were “excellent.” He credits them with modeling the profession for him.

Last semester, he finished his 13th year as a teacher. Scarmack teaches woodshop, officially known as industrial arts, at Hubbard High School.

He enjoys the subject because it allows him to be active. He can’t imagine himself sitting at a desk all day.

“There are a lot of great skills that can be learned with regard to wordworking, such as how to use a hammer, how to approach a machine safely, how to select lumber. But I don’t think those are the most important things that my kids learn,” Scarmack said. “I think a lot of the things that they learn that can be translated from English to math to the world of work are things like how to work with another person, how to be patient with each other, how to be persistent, how to be consistent.”

His class is an elective, available to ninth- through 12th-graders. Scarmack appreciates that his class affords students the opportunity to learn technical skills, even if they are not enrolled in a specialized track through the Trumbull County Career and Technical Center.

The Hubbard district nominated Scarmack for his latest award, which is administered by the Ohio State Board of Education.

Although Scarmack is not among the finalists, other winners will advance to state and national Teacher of the Year competitions.