While many students know that social studies teachers Brayden Blain and David Urban are Alder graduates teaching at the high school, there are several others throughout the district.  Many students may not realize the work that goes into teaching and how the path that led these former Pioneers to teach here has varied. 

Canaan Middle School teacher David  Lanka says his most memorable time as a student at Alder was when he worked on getting the soccer program started as a freshman.  

“So when I was a freshman we didn’t have a soccer program.  We worked on a petition to get the soccer program.”  

STEAM teacher Brett Glass’s most memorable moments were when he played football and when they had big wins.  

“I guess my most memorable experiences here always come back to big wins and football,” says Glass, who is now also the football coach.  

From Alder, the path to becoming a teacher here was different for everyone.

Lanka says, “one of the hardest parts of becoming a teacher was the age and energy level.”  

The challenge for others was finding their path.  

Glass says, “I didn’t really have any challenges in becoming a teacher, but it was the process of deciding to become one.”  

When Glass started college, he was in pre-med, but he later decided to become a teacher.  “I was always interested in science and was pre-med when I started college,” he says. “…later I decided to become a teacher.”

Some other teachers knew they wanted to be teachers at a young age.  Others knew they wanted to teach and help others learn, but they didn’t know they wanted to be a teacher.  Jonathan Alder Junior High teacher Thomas Urban was one such person.  

“I actually was going to be a pastor for the longest time,” he says, “but then figured out that I didn’t want to do that for work and just kind of struggled to figure out what I wanted to do.”

Some teachers knew where they wanted to work once they finished school, others did not.  

David Urban says, “Well, it was the first job offer that I got, so I took that, but also like it was my first choice in a place that I wanted to work.  I loved going to high school here.  I loved the community of Plain City, and it really just felt like home.”

An aspect of teaching in the same district that you graduated from is still wanting to call your former teachers Mr. or Mrs.  David Urban says that one of the hardest parts of returning to high school, and teaching, was still feeling like a student even though you were a teacher, and one of their colleagues.  

“Like, I still feel like I just call them Mr. Carpenter, Mr. Clark or whatever, because it feels wrong to say their name,” he says.

Another change from when these teachers were students is the increasing population growth in Plain City, which is something that current students also see.

Despite this, David Urban says that the community has changed some, but the high school is still very similar to when he was in school.  

“It doesn’t feel like a lot has changed at the school,” he says. “It still feels very similar to when I was in high school but, just going out and going throughout Plain City.”

The biggest difference, he says, is “Seeing the ways that people and places have changed.”