Nick Tabaczka is a new World History and Alaska Studies teacher who owns two golden retrievers named Charlie and Abby. 

Tabaczka was a substitute teacher at a variety of different schools, from elementary schools to high schools for about a year until he became a teacher at Dimond High School for this year.

However, this is not Tabaczka’s introduction to Dimond High. He did student teaching here at Dimond last year in the spring.

Tabaczka graduated the University of Anchorage Alaska, and finished his master’s degree at University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Tabaczka was in the military for 14 years before he decided to pursue his passions of teaching and history by becoming a teacher.

Tabaczka said, “ My favorite part of being in the Army was teaching soldiers how to do things. The best way to keep doing that is to teach students.”

Tabaczka said, “I had a lot of family that was in the military, and I was like the twelfth  Tabaczka to be in the military and the sixth to be in combat, so I wanted a way to honor them, have a way to pay for college, I wanted to learn the skill, and I wanted to get out of Michigan and see a couple things.”

Tabaczka’s passion for teaching has always been in his heart ever since he was 16 years old.

Tabaczka said, “I had a teacher in junior year that gave extra credit if you get ahead of the textbook, read an entire section, prepare homework, prepare a presentation, and then you deliver the lesson to the teacher after school. He would let you teach the lesson to the entire class and grade, and I fell in love right there and then.” 

Every teacher has their own unique way of teaching a class.

Tabaczka said, “I think I’m approachable, I try to be humorous, and I try to be real. I’m traditional when it comes to assignments and projects, but I’m a little more fluent in having a conversation.”

Even though Tabaczka has been a teacher for only part of a year, he has positively impacted students’ lives. 

Joshua Farris, a sophomore here at Dimond High School said, “Tabaczka gets into our heads and relates to us. I learn more thoroughly in his class than I have in my other history classes.  

“I also like the way Mr. Tabaczka teaches, because he is funny, nice, straight-forward and a loving teacher who adds comedy to what he is teaching us.” 

Farris said, “He also tries to get kids to like the new trends. For example, Mario Kart came out new on our phones and he is always talking about it.”

Farris said, “He makes learning history easier than last year for me.”

Aubrey Hickel, a sophomore at Dimond said, “Mr. Tabaczka is a very nice and very funny teacher. I really enjoy his class and teaching style.”

Hickel said, “He teaches a lot of different ways, such as lectures, games, and worksheets.”

Students have their own opinions on Tabaczka being a first-year teacher at Dimond High School.

Hickel said, “He is doing very well as a first-year teacher. He seems like he has been teaching for a while. 

“If I would not have been told it was his first year, I would not have known.”

Despite it being Tabaczka’s first year as a full-time teacher, he has very quickly managed to figure out how to easily interact with the students in a positive and healthy manner.