Above and Beyond - Eric Sherman

Eric Sherman, our 7th/8th grade social studies teacher, is in his fourth year at Maranatha.

Before MCA, Eric was deeply involved in a youth camp program called Young Life at their New York location. “You work at a camp, and you could be doing landscaping, you could be in the kitchen, and that is your job.” Eric loved participating in this program and was even pursuing a more full-time role before COVID-19 hit in 2020. “[...] at some point they were just like, ‘Unfortunately, we are gonna have to cancel camp’ [...].” Eric eventually ended up back in Minnesota, where Young Life contacted him, asking for help with their brand-new location in Texas. “I was like, ‘Perfect. God, obviously, this is what I am supposed to be doing because you just opened up this door.’” Things were shaky, however, with people continuing to get sick, eventually leading to Eric getting let go from that new venture. 

Mr. Sherman, now at a crossroads, was unsure how God was going to take care of him. “So, for about a month, I was in Texas, drove back to Minnesota, and I was like, ‘I do not know what is going on now.’”  Eric decided to finish getting his Master’s degree and pursue teaching (something he had put on the shelf before), which led to him applying for the social studies position at Maranatha that he currently holds. 

When asked what he likes most about working at Maranatha, Mr. Sherman said,

“The biggest thing is the students. Building relationships with the students [...].”

Mr. Sherman has the unique position of teaching both 7th and 8th grade. He talked about how that first year with the kids, he really gets to know them, and the second year, that relationship gets even deeper to the point where high schoolers now see him daily, even though he is no longer their teacher. Other than the students, Eric also shared that the families here at Maranatha are the best. “The partnership families have with the teachers is unbelievable and something I have never experienced anywhere else [...],” Eric says, saying that the support he feels from his parents keeps him going. 

Although Mr. Sherman teaches social studies, what he hopes to instill in his students goes way beyond that. When asked what he hopes students remember about him at the end of the year, he said,

“I would hope that they would just remember that they are loved, and they are cared for, and that there is somebody who is always in their corner.”

Middle school can be tough for students, and teachers like Mr. Sherman provide students with a place where they can feel accepted and loved. 

One specific example of connecting with kids on a deeper level occurs with the bi-annual Washington D.C. trip at the tail-end of the school year. “[...] one of the things that’s really cool is as you are going through all of these different museums and seeing these different monuments [...] that understanding, originally, the idea of the United States becoming a country was founded on Biblical principles.” It is special to learn about not just how our country was formed, but to see God’s influence in all of it. On the trip, they even take time to go to the Museum of the Bible, where there is a 3D-like experience that takes you through the first few books of the Bible! 

In his free time, Mr. Sherman enjoys connecting with Young Life college students on Tuesdays, chilling with some Pokémon Pocket, and relaxing to some of his favorite shows during the week or playing frisbee golf. Mr. Sherman has a long drive to and from work, but he does it every day because of the connection he feels here at Maranatha, especially with those kids who feel left out. “I think I have the opportunity and the ability to connect with the kids who are maybe a bit harder to connect with.” Mr. Sherman makes sure students do not just know the academic information they need to be successful, but he goes above and beyond to make sure each of them feels loved.