Hello! My name is Ben Byers, and I'm proud to return to the Anthony Middle School Language & Literature Department! This will be my third year teaching at Anthony; before that, I spent three years working as an English teacher at Highland Park High School in Topeka, Kansas. My wife Helen is originally from Minneapolis (and is in fact an Anthony alumnus!) We decided we wanted to start a family, and wished to do so in the great state of Minnesota.

We moved to the city at the end of July 2019, and have loved our time here so far!

Interests:

• Hiking & Camping

• Woodworking

• Traveling

• Running & Biking

• Music (acoustic and electric guitar)

• Volleyball and Kickball (4-time Adult City League Champs!)

• Book Clubs!

Teaching Experience

• Paraprofessional, Autism Cluster Site at Lawrence High School - Lawrence, KS (2013-2016)

• ELA Teacher, Highland Park High School - Topeka, KS (2016-2019)

• Language & Literature, Anthony Middle School - Minneapolis, MN (2019-)

Education:

• BA in English, University of Kansas (2013)

• MA in Education, Pittsburg State University (2017)

Highland Park High School Roles and Responsibilities:

• Pre-AP English 9 and 10 instructor

• Head Coordinator, Mentor Leadership Program

• ELA Representative, TPS 501 Curriculum and Assessment Committee

• ELA Representative, Comprehensive Intergrated Three-Tiered Modle of Support Site Team (Ci3T)

• ELA Representative, Professional Learning Communities (PLC) Innovation Cohort

• Freshmen Head Coach, Girls' Volleyball