Teaching

Ben Teach 2
Curricular Achievements
  • Created an Advanced Placement Literature and Composition curriculum.
  • Created a department-wide plan to improve the skills of sophomores and juniors who did not pass state-required standardized tests.
  • Created and taught an original online summer English course.
  • Developed a creative writing curriculum. 40+ students won regional award.
  • Led team of junior English teachers through SAT-focused curriculum development.
  • Member of one of the top-ranked public school English departments in Indiana.
  • Created and supervised Kaleidoscope Magazine, a literary magazine for Munster High School.
Extracurricular Involvement

Sponsored the following clubs (in alphabetical order):

Coached the following sports and extracurricular activities (in alphabetical order):

Professional Awards, Honors, and Achievements
  • Munster High School Teacher of the Year (2025)
  • School Town of Munster district Secondary Teacher of the Year (2025)
  • Served on a panel organized by Indiana Youth Group (IYG) to discuss laws related to LGBTQ+ students (July 2024).
  • Attended Poetry Foundation‘s Summer Poetry Teachers Institute (July 2024).
  • Presented an original session titled “SEL in Secondary Classrooms: A Practical Approach” at the 2024 South Shore Summer of Learning @ Duneland Conference (June 2024)
  • Created Perspicacity Magazine, an online literary magazine for Indiana high school students.
  • Northwest Indiana “Life in the Spotlight” (2023)
  • STM Golden Apple pin recipient (2022)
  • Three-time student-selected graduation speaker (2015, 2016, 2018)
  • Yale Educator Award recipient (2018)
  • Spoke at an “Is Your School Suicide Ready?” Symposium (hosted by the NWI LGBTQ Coalition and the NWI Suicide Prevention Council) on Wednesday, June 20, 2018 in Northwest Indiana as a representative of school-based GSAs in Indiana (2018)
  • English Department Chair (past)

Ben IYG

Other Professional Involvement
Further Reading