Staff Spotlight: Griffin Michalek
Griffin Michalek is the 6th grade Individuals and Societies Teacher at Sunset Ridge School. As a former East Hartford student himself, he remembers being inspired and supported by his teachers. Now, he works to do the same for his students both in his classroom and in the community sports programs he started at his school.
“Mr. M comes to school every day with such positivity and enthusiasm. He lifts everybody around him. And what makes Mr. M so special is he's 100% in it for the kids,” said Sunset Ridge Assistant Principal Alexandra Turner.
She added, “He is not only their teacher in the classroom, but he's a mentor to so many of our students. He's sat in their seats before, and they're really able to connect with him and understand that he cares about them, that he believes in them. And he has an amazing ability to build connections with all types of students.”
Learn more about Griffin Michalek in this Q&A below.
Tell us about your educational background and journey that led to your current role at Sunset Ridge.
Michalek: So I think my journey started about ten years ago. I was a student down the street here at East Hartford High, and I had some awesome teachers there that have inspired me. And fast forward ten years, now this is my fourth year at Sunset, and there's just something special about teaching in the district you grew up in.
What content do you cover in Individuals and Societies? What does it look like inside your classroom?
Michalek: So this is Social Studies. We're doing Ancient Rome right now. We'll cover the Holocaust. We'll cover apartheid in sub-Saharan Africa, so very worldly. I will touch on current events a little bit, but definitely give the students some knowledge about what's happening around the world.
There's a lot of moving around. There's a lot of engagement, whether it's partner work or going from station to station. We just try to keep things fresh, try to keep these kids moving. They’ve got a lot of energy. We want to try and match that. So you know, there’s very little lecturing going on.
What are the most rewarding aspects to your job?
Michalek: Just being from East Hartford and being able to have a positive impact, it's something that I don't take lightly. You know, when I was growing up here in East Hartford, there are a lot of teachers that supported me, and so I just I try to do the same. I think here at Sunset, a lot of the staff members try to do that. They try to build the relationships with the kids. So just seeing the positive impact that we have on the students is probably the most rewarding part.
Outside of the classroom, you’ve started community sports programs at Sunset. How did you get that going and what inspired you to do so?
Michalek: I've been working with Parks and Rec since I was 18. I've always maintained a good relationship with them. Being able to provide students with an opportunity to get active, to hang out with their friends, is something that we wanted to bring here. And Parks and Rec has been awesome and willing to fund our after-school sports program.
We have football, we have soccer, we have basketball. We’ve even got ping pong up on the stage. We try to reach as many students as we can.
What do you love most about your job?
Michalek: I think there's two parts. I think one of the things that we've really stressed is the relationships we build, whether it's in the classroom, the afterschool sports program I run with Ms. Sousa, or the running program I do with Mr. Girard. We stress relationships. And so that's a huge part of it, the relationships we have with the kids.
But also, as a staff collectively, you know, we pick each other up. We support each other, we make each other laugh, and it's just a really enjoyable place to work.