This page is intended to provide a bit of background information about Mr. Earhart (me), as well as to allow an opportunity for dialogue in the comments.  Questions are welcome.

As I enter my 9th year in education, it has become apparent that my life is significantly tied to teaching.  I love what I do, and, even though, at times, this profession consumes me, I can’t even consider doing something else.  But we’re getting ahead of ourselves; lets start at the beginning:

I was born and raised in small-town Missourah, completing my entire elementary and secondary schooling in St. James, MO (population: 3,500).  In high school I was a nerd-jock, addicted to lifting weights, football, and history.  Having turned down a letter of intent to play college football at Benedictine, I attended the University of Central Missouri where I majored in social studies education.  I was intent on coaching football and basketball, and had always wanted to be half as good at teaching social studies as Barb Smith (my high school instructor).

Out of college, I began my teaching career in Concordia, MO (population: 2,100) teaching a variety of humanities courses whilst calling the offense on Friday nights.  But being as how I do not hunt, fish, ride horses, or worship NASCAR, I decided to move to Austin after my second year of teaching.  It was a wise move.  I must like Austin, as I’ve since acquired a dog and a house – even convincing my elder brother, Jeremy, a professional starving-artist, to abandon Brooklyn for a room in said house last summer.  I love to travel, having spent a bit of time in Europe and Mexico (with plans for a summer in South America in 2013); I geek-out on baseball and I’ve an addiction to fantasy athletics that makes Dungeons and Dragons look socially acceptable (but a least I’ve managed to drag Mr. Timmons, Mr. Gephart, and Mr. Uhler into this dark world with me - strength in numbers).

At Anderson I have several roles of varying importance.

My most significant responsibility at Anderson occurs in my coordinating of the AVID Program.  Advancement via Individual Determination seeks to support students who will be the first in their families to graduate from college.  My role is to identify, recruit, teach, and support AVID students in their pursuit of a college education.  I teach 3 sections of AVID (with the wonderful Ms. Hollrah teaching 4 sections this year) and can easily say that AVID is my most challenging and rewarding teaching assignment.  My involvement with AVID began 4 years ago, when I was asked to rebuild the program.  I recruited a class of 25 students and began quite a journey.  21 of these students just graduated, and all of them are headed to college.  It’s safe to say that these students hold a special place in my heart, having taught them for their entire high school career.  I’m extremely proud of them and myself for what we have accomplished.  I’m equally proud that Anderson HS has committed to the AVID Program, as this year we will have over 175 AVID students in 7 sections.  We continue to grow as a program, providing more support to a population of students that needs assistance.  There is little doubt that my recent accolades are directly related to my work with our AVID students.  These students have taught me more about education and life than anything else, and I’m thankful for the opportunity to empower youth to pursue their dreams.  If you want a window into the wonderful world of AVID, watch this video featuring AVID Senior, Unique Standberry; or this video featuring our work with Attendance Records.

My second role at Anderson is to teach both US History and Contemporary Issues.  US History is my passion; we will revel in the ambiguity of all that is the United States.  I’m excited to return to teaching a subject (I did not teach US History in 2011-12) that, if taught correctly, drips with elements of social justice.  Contemporary Issues is a breath of fresh air in a public school system suffocated by standardization and conformity of thought.  I simply revel in having the opportunity to challenge students with intellectual discourse – delving deep into the ambiguity that encompasses the majority of modern issues.  I take this course very seriously and I look forward to interacting with all who visit this site (even Wizard).

My third role at Anderson is the Students as Teachers program.  This is only the second year of this unique program, but I’m certainly excited at the potential of the SAT program, even though I’m aware that there will be a learning curve involved.  With continued cuts in funding, Anderson is turning to a model of students teaching students as a way to provide more support to our learners.  SATs will consist of students that demonstrate strong skills in a particular subject area being assigned to help a freshman or sophomore section of students in need of tutoring.  Basically, a SAT will be assigned to a course like Algebra 1, and, when students are having difficulties, the SAT will intervene by reteaching a concept in a small-group or individual setting.  My role will be to help train, place, and monitor these SATs, ensuring that SATs earn a weighted credit for their work.  The program has a noble goal, and it has the potential to teach both SATs and struggling students valuable lessons.

That’s probably enough. If you made it this far, thanks for reading!  Again, comments and questions are welcome.