CMU alum wins Excellence in Education Award

Central Michigan University alum Ryan Barck (’10) is a recent winner of the Excellence in Education award from the Michigan Lottery. Barck is a high school government teacher in the L’Anse Creuse school district and credits his time at CMU for setting the foundation for a career in teaching.

“CMU prepared me for the classroom,” Barck says. “I remember during a mid-tier teaching class, I thought I knew what I was doing, but my professor picked me apart over my lesson plan. I learned then, that I had the knowledge but didn’t know how to most effectively deliver it. My professor taught me the best way to deliver my lesson plan to students. She challenged me to be a better person and a better teacher. She took the extra time beyond the classroom to help me become a better teacher and that helped me become more prepared for when I had a class of my own.”

Barck attended CMU from 2005-2010, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in education, with a double major in history and social studies.

“I loved my history class at CMU,” Barck says, adding: “Dr. Eric Johnson’s Naziism and the Holocaust History 280 class piqued my interest in history and the Holocaust.”

Barck credits another professor for helping him develop a broader understanding of the world. “Professor Randall Doyle opened my eyes to a non-western perspective of the world,” Barck says. “He taught me that there’s more to life out there. The world is much bigger than your little corner of Michigan.”

For winning the Michigan Lottery Excellence in Education award, Barck received a $1,500 cash prize and a $500 grant to his classroom, school, or school district. He’s also in the running to earn the Educator of the Year award, which comes with a $10,000 prize.