Tyler Evans is a teacher at Michigan City High School who's more than six years in education has taken him across the world. Evans feels that that education is the perfect fit for him- he does it for the rewarding aspect of informing the Northwest Indiana youth.
“I fell into teaching. I enjoy seeing the day-to-day improvements with the students. I like working with these individuals and getting to know them. I get to build relationships with them on a daily basis,” said Evans. “Once students build the teacher-student trust, they let me know of problems and progresses. Just knowing that they can confide in me is really huge.”
Evans loves to travel, which is how he ended up teaching. He taught in Saudi Arabia and in Taiwan. He has been to 30 countries so far, with Iceland next on the travel checklist. He tries to visit one or two different countries a year. He enjoys seeing the world with his wife when he is not in the classroom.
“After grad school, I really wanted to travel and see more. I thought the best way of doing that was through teaching,” said Evans. “I taught in Taiwan for four years. I met my wife there, and I really enjoyed my time there. Everyone was very welcoming and the students were great. After a few months there, it felt like home.”
Initially, it was a bit of a culture shock and learning to adapt to a new area.
“My Mandarin wasn’t the best. The first couple of months, I felt like a bit of an outcast,” said Evans. “Eventually I got more comfortable.”
Evans now calls Northwest Indiana home. He enjoys being close to his roots and surrounded by his family. He enjoys the community here, not just personally, but professionally as well.
“I moved back to this community about a year and a half ago. The people here are always friendly, and it’s an area I don’t imagine myself leaving anytime soon. The administration here at Michigan City has always been welcoming and fantastic as well,” said Evans.
Evans is currently teaching three different courses at Michigan City High School: English, speech and dual credit literature and composition. His favorite to teach is the dual credit course, with its older students and more stimulating conversations. He says every course is different as well as the students.
“Each year brings a new set of students, new personalities, and there are different quirks with all the kids," Evans said. "You’ll get more difficult kids some years, and more unique challenges and curriculums. You have different goals with students, and overall it is 100 percent different, year by year.”