Ever wonder what goes on in the lives of teachers? This LCN adaptation of Brandon Stanton’s “Humans of New York” might just have that answer. Stanton started his “Humans of New York” project in 2010 and it soon became more as he realized he was stopping for a chat along the way. This fifth installment of the LCN adaptation plays off of Stanton’s idea and puts a school-spirited spin on it. This month our LCN teachers get a chance to share a little bit about them and gain their moment in the spotlight. Keep on reading…

Ms. Macomber-

How long have you been teaching at LCN?

“Eight years at LCN, 17 years teaching (one year at MSC and the rest at Lake Shore High School.)”

If you were a student here, what class would you most want to take?

“I plan on moving to Paris when I retire, so I would definitely take all of the French classes. I took two years of French in high school, but that was a long time ago and I need a refresher. Also, I would love to take Forensic Science- it is outside of my content area and seems like such an interesting class.”

What’s something about you that your students might not know? Talent? Passion? 

“I like to read- a lot. The most books I’ve ever read in a year was 198. I also was paid to narrate an audiobook last summer and hope to make a “side job” out of recording more!”

What made you go into teaching?

“I love to learn. If I were to win the lottery, I would attend college for the rest of my life. Teaching allows me to share this passion for learning with my students and they also teach me new things every day. Sometimes I take a step back and think, “I can’t believe I get paid to spend my day with all of these fun, smart, hilarious students AND get to read with them!” It really is too good to be true sometimes.”

What’s your favorite class to teach?

“I love English 9, 2nd semester in particular. To Kill a Mockingbird opens up some really important and meaningful conversations and The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet is my all-time favorite unit to teach. We laughed so much during that unit at Shakespeare’s puns.”

What’s your ideal student?

“Someone who is open-minded and isn’t afraid to try and go outside of their comfort zone. I am always so grateful to the students who volunteer answers in class or to take a reading role when needed. My favorite students are always those who make me laugh, smile, and build a relationship with me.”

Mr. Hubbard-

How long have you been teaching at LCN?

“This is my 23rd year of teaching at LCN.”

If you were a student here, what class would you most want to take?

“I would love to take a philosophy class, it’s super interesting, makes you think, and makes your brain hurt.  Since that is not a choice, I would go with AP Chemistry for very similar reasons and because Chemistry is awesome!!!”

What’s something about you that your students might not know? Talent? Passion? 

“I was the lead singer in a pretty popular Punk rock band in the 90’s.”

What made you go into teaching?

“I love helping people, especially when it comes to learning.  Even back in high school, I would help my friends study but I never really studied for myself.  Teaching is the only thing I have ever wanted to do and I still love doing it.  As long as I have students in front of me in a classroom, I feel like I could teach for another 23 years.”

What’s your favorite class to teach?

“Obviously my favorite class to teach is chemistry.  But a very close second is the college and career class.  That class means a lot to me because I get to work on things with students that are going to have an impact on their college decisions and possibly their career path.  The best part of all is when students come to me with huge smiles on their faces proudly announcing they were accepted into their school of choice.  It is extremely rewarding.” 

What’s your ideal student?

“1)      Someone who wants to make themselves better through learning.”

“2)      Someone who is willing to work hard.”

“3)      Someone who cares.”

“Ok, one of those answers might not be true but it will be fun.”

Ms. Gramer-

How long have you been teaching at LCN?

“This is my fourth year of teaching at LCN. (Eighth year of teaching total.)​”

If you were a student here, what class would you most want to take?

“Well oddly enough I was a student here! I graduated in 2010, and I’m grateful to have had many of the teachers that are still here now. These fabulous educators helped me to become the educator and person I am today. I have specific memories of showing up to Mrs. Martin’s US History class with wet hair after the swim unit in gym class with Mr. Nader, giving presentations in Senor Johnson and Senora Frank’s Spanish classes, and eating cookies frozen in liquid nitrogen in Mr. Hubbard’s Chemistry class. Some other honorable mentions would be Mrs. Cesarz’s Biology class, English 11 with Mr. Cook, and Mr. Ekdahl’s Economics class… yes, believe it or not he can teach economics too!”

What’s something about you that your students might not know? Talent? Passion?

Here’s a few… I’m very boring, so I’ll let you pick which one is most fascinating:

• I was valedictorian of LCN in 2010, and I’ve graduated with honors three times in my life.

• I married my childhood sweetheart in August 2020. We met when we were six and seven years old through our fathers’ being childhood friends, and our little COVID Pandemic was one of the best days of my life.

• I can name most Jelly Belly flavors just by looking at them.

• I’ve never operated a lawn mower.​

• I play the ukulele… I’m self taught and terrible, but I try.

What made you go into teaching?

“I can remember being in fourth grade and deciding to become a teacher. It’s been a lifelong passion and goal, and I’m proud of myself for making it this far. I’ve always enjoyed helping others and working with kids. Since I enjoyed math so much as a kid, it only made sense that I would enjoy teaching math as an adult. As tough as teaching can be, this job is super rewarding, and I’m grateful for the experiences I’ve had over the last eight years.​”

What’s your favorite class to teach?

“AP Calculus has been a ton of fun to ​teach the last few years. I love the challenge of teaching the course, and I enjoy having engaging mathematical conversations. Those students really get me thinking most days! I also love teaching Algebra II; I’ve taught it every year of my teaching career. I’ve really grown to love the content and age group.”

What’s your ideal student?

“My ideal student is respectful and responsible. Math can be a very challenging course, and most people don’t enjoy it, so I look for students who try their best no matter what. If you’re giving your best effort, that’s all I care about. My ideal student also finds the joy in learning something new even if their future path doesn’t require that information.​”

Ms. Scappini-

How long have you been teaching at LCN?

“Four years (since 2019). I have been with the district since 2010, though. I previously taught at LCHS and MSC.”

If you were a student here, what class would you most want to take?

“Forensics (all of my students know I love true crime) AP Psych (partly because of the reason in the previous response), AP Lit/Lang (of course), APUSH (I’m a history minor and American history has always interested me.)”

What’s something about you that your students might not know? Talent? Passion? 

“My fun fact that I always use is that I’m related to John Proctor. I enjoy studying my family genealogy and in tracing back some relatives from Ohio, I eventually got to him. It’s fun when students make the connection to The Crucible.

 I don’t have any cool talents, but I have surfed before and I am a fairly good skier. I enjoy hiking- I have family in Colorado, so I spend time in the mountains each summer. I guess these relate more to a passion-I like to travel. The farthest away I’ve been is Peru.”

What made you go into teaching?

“I had two really influential teachers in my life. One was my fourth grade teacher named Mr. DeLorenzo. He did creative lessons that built our independence. For example, I remember having to use the class phone to call the Chamber of Commerce in Frankenmuth to get them to send brochures to our school for a Michigan project I was doing.  In high school, I had an English teacher for tenth and 11th grade named Mrs. Schubert. She taught class pretty traditionally (typically from a stool in the front of the room) but she was really soft-spoken and compassionate. On 9/11 she was the only one who wouldn’t let us watch news coverage. Instead she kept the room quiet and we talked and colored. I know now why she did that. After being her teacher aide my senior year, she was the one who encouraged me to pick teaching as a career.”

What’s your favorite class to teach?

“AP Lang and English 11. I love AP Lang because I think it has so much relevance in the “real world.” Every citizen should be able to communicate effectively or spot manipulation tactics, so my hope is that there is something worthwhile they are able to take from class other than just the AP credit. English 11 is a second favorite because I like juniors and I like the curriculum. Teaching Gatsby is always fun for me.”

 What’s your ideal student?

“An ideal student is someone who realizes that growth is more important than perfection. It’s okay to have setbacks, but you have to move forward. I feel so bad when a student prefaces a question with an apology: “Sorry for another question; Last question I swear.” That’s what you should be doing! It’s my job to help.”

Mr. Lamberti-

How long have you been teaching at LCN?

“I have been teaching at LCN for four years now.  Before LCN I taught marketing & business for six years and have been an Advisor to DECA for ten years.”

If you were a student here, what class would you most want to take?

“SCHOOL STORE!!!  I would love to take the school store class.  The student-employees in there are amazing, work hard, earn free stuff, and will receive a scholarship their Senior Year!  Then I would make sure I had a weight training class to burn off the calories from the cookies we eat.”

What’s something about you that your students might not know? Talent? Passion?

“Besides my passion for education and my family, I am an avid reader.  The last book I read was Midnight at Chernobyl.  My favorite books include Shoe Dog the story behind Phil Knight the founder of Nike, Steve Jobs, Sherlock Holmes, American Colossus, & The Peoples Tycoon – a book about Henry Ford.  I even bought a pair of running shoes from the Japanese company Phil Knight used to sell shoes for – Onitsuka…my students thought they looked like bowling shoes.

My dream is to have my lawn look like a golf course so I spend a lot of time outside in the yard.  I am fascinated with finance and dabble in the stock market a little bit, but most of my money is overseen by a Financial Advisor.  Random fact, in high school my brother was All-State in football and my sister was All-State in volleyball and both received full rides to college.  I only made Honorable Mention All-State in football and paid for my Bachelors and Masters.  The goal is to start my second Masters this year or next.”

What made you go into teaching?

“Teaching was not my first choice, don’t tell anyone that though!  I dreamed of being an Account Manager at an advertising firm like Campbell-Ewald, Team Detroit, Mars, BBDO, or others.  After graduating in 2009 during the recession, most companies were laying off and hiring experienced professionals for cheap.

I had coached and subbed during college so I was familiar with the education system.  After working in business for a year I decided to go back to school to become a business teacher.  While I was teaching, I worked for a business as a Procurement Specialist for a military contractor.  The company paid me to spend their money on parts needed to build HVAC units for radar trucks, tank suspension, & hydraulic pumps for the hood of military vehicles.”

What’s your favorite class to teach?

“Marketing & The School Store are my favorite two classes to teach.  Marketing promotes the school store while The School Store class operates the store.  I love how students learn the basics of marketing and then apply them in a real life situation.  Every year is radically different than the year prior so we always have to be on our feet watching for the newest trends and styles.”

What’s your ideal student?

“My ideal student, that is a tough one.  Each class requires a different skill set but for the school store I look for students that are willing to learn and have a great work ethic. A positive attitude goes a long way as well!”

Mrs. Hough-

How long have you been teaching at LCN?

“I did my student teaching her at LCN during the 2000-2001 school year and taught US History with Mrs. Lammers and Mrs. Hicks. I was hired at LCN during the 2002-2003 school year and have been here ever since. I am finishing up my 22nd year of teaching, 21 of them at LCN.”

If you were a student here, what class would you most want to take?

“I would most want to take Mrs. Lammers AP Psych. I hear such great things about it and she is such an excellent teacher. I also would like to take Mrs. Martin’s Sociology class. She really has created an amazing course and I wish more students would take her elective.”

What’s something about you that your students might not know? Talent? Passion?

“I have been to 19 of the 30 MLB ballpark stadiums. Trying to see all 30. When I was in elementary school, I lived outside San Francisco and was in the big 1989 earthquake that stopped the MLB world series game. I love teaching and love dogs, particularly my sweet Lucy Pup who has her own insta page @SweetLucyPup.”

What made you go into teaching?

“I always loved school and decided to take a year off of college after I graduated from Albion. I was originally going to go into Student Affairs at work at the collegiate level and plan student activities, etc. My Grandma saw an ad in the newspaper for a Saginaw Valley Teaching Program where after a year, you would have your teaching certificate. I decided to give it a try and was one of the last people accepted into the program. I figured I was already taking a year off and why not try this out since I always loved high school. I absolutely loved being a teacher and the rest is history.”

What’s your favorite class to teach?

“It is a tie because I absolutely love US History and love working with ninth graders. I can still be a little cheesy and I love the material that we teach. However, I am blessed to have had a leadership class since the 2009-2010 school year and LOVE working with my seniors who apply to be in the class.”

What’s your ideal student?

“My ideal student is one who is kind both to myself and to their peers, participates in class discussions and is willing to lend a helping hand both to myself and peers and not expect anything back in return. They want to help just to help and of course, turn in all their materials on time and most importantly CHECK SCHOOLOGY when they are absent. I am so tired of being asked what we do when students are absent and get so excited by my ninth graders who actually check it.”

Mr. Murphy-

How long have you been teaching at LCN?

“As of the second semester, one year.”

If you were a student here, what class would you most want to take?

“Forensic Science, I always liked science and crime shows and movies. I wish that class existed when I was in High School.”

What’s something about you that your students might not know? Talent? Passion?

“I love the ocean, and make a point to get there at least once a year.”

What made you go into teaching?

 “In part, I went into teaching because my dad was an Elementary school teacher.”

What’s your favorite class to teach?

“I like to teach my science classes, it’s hard to say which one is my favorite. It’s like picking my favorite child or pet. I might have one, but I don’t want to say which one…”

What’s your ideal student?

 “My ideal student is one who works hard and cares about doing their best. It doesn’t hurt if they laugh at my jokes.”