Back in a place he calls his second home, Tyler Prauner is the new teacher at Wayne Community Schools for seventh grade civics and eighth grade US history.
Before attending Wayne State College for social science education, Prauner graduated from Battle Creek High School, which positively affected his decision to go into teaching.
“What inspired me to become a teacher is I really enjoyed being a student, learning from the professionals that were at Battle Creek, and I just felt like it was something that I could see myself doing,” Prauner said. “I like working with kids.”
Alongside teaching social science, Prauner is the offensive coordinator for the football team and will be helping with junior high track. It was this opportunity to coach football that helped bring Prauner back to Wayne.
“I spent five years in Macy [Nebraska] working with kids that have communication disorders, K through 4,” Prauner said. “I really, really loved the job. It was actually something that I was really considering going all in on. But what brought me away from that opportunity is I really enjoy coaching.”
After working in Macy, Prauner spent a year teaching in Battle Creek, but said he couldn’t say no to the opportunity in Wayne when it came open.
“I did my practicum hours in this school district,” Prauner said. “I did my student teaching in the school district. So, it was one of those things where I felt like I had developed some strong relationships and kind of identified with the values of this school.”
Prauner said the words he tries to teach by are confidence, resiliency and accountability.
“Teaching isn't just the process of trying to transfer knowledge into a young person,” Prauner said. “It's showing them what a person does to handle life situations. It's part of why I love football. I think it's one of the best microcosms for what life can actually be like once you're an adult.”
“There's an element of respect that you have to teach when it comes to talking about things such as politics or government and things of that nature,” Prauner said. “So setting those norms and those expectations is something that I want to be established by year one and being able to layer and build off of that to make instruction time or activity time a little more in depth.”
When Prauner is not busy with coaching or getting everything organized that a new teacher needs to, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Ali, and his stepdaughter.
“Wayne Community Schools is a tremendous place,” Prauner said. “I think it's a great place to grow and learn, and I’m just really, really happy to be home.”
