He’s the kind of teacher who keeps his doors open to students during lunch. He’s the kind of teacher who talks with students about more than school. He’s the kind of teacher who makes you feel like you’re seen. Mark Sherman, after 27 years at Dakota Ridge, plans to retire this year. He’s the kind of teacher who will be missed.
Dakota Ridge has been open since 1996. Most teachers wouldn’t end up staying at the same school for 27 years, but Sherman has been here since the very beginning.
Sherman came into teaching for all of the right reasons, wanting to make students feel safe and allow them to have an adult in their lives that they can trust and feel seen by.
“I hated high school with every fiber in my body because it didn’t work for me, ”Sherman said. ”I remember telling my parents, and my dad said, ‘So what are you going to do about it,’ and I thought, ‘Nothing, what can I do about it?’ So I came into it wanting to create a place for people like me who needed somewhere to fit, and the traditional system doesn’t have much of that.”
One of those students who was looking for a fit is senior Sam Noonan.
“He lets me sit in his room during lunch. He calls on me in class a lot, and he really seems to value my opinions,” Noonan said. “He’s also had some really similar experiences to me, and he makes me feel seen.”
(Brook Nekuda)
Sherman knew he wanted to make a change, but he soon learned that teaching is very different than he originally thought.
“You learn very quickly that content is not the number one thing you do in teaching, it is using your content to help people have realizations about themselves,” Sherman said. “You come into it wanting to change everybody, but no, not everybody wants it, not everybody needs it. You can’t hit everyone.”
Sherman has many hopes for his students. He hopes they get the chance to truly get to know themselves, which can be a challenge in high school.
“I really hope that they can get comfortable asking themselves the big questions instead of just following along and doing what they’re told to do,” Sherman said.
Since Sherman is leaving at the end of this school year, there are many new things he’ll be able to experience. Oftentimes, teachers don’t have a plan for retirement, or some have a clear plan like traveling, but Sherman is just going with the flow.
“I don’t know what I plan to do after,” Sherman said. “I’ve got all sorts of ideas. It’s been fun talking to my seniors because we’re in the same boat right now. It’s a weird sensation to be in that same boat. It’s fun and exhilarating, and I look forward to what happens next.”
