January 2024 Educator of the Month

Superintendent, Ms. Tammy Chavis, is thrilled to announce that Mr. Derek Herbert, Engineering and Computer Science Teacher at FCMS/FCHS, has been selected as January’s “Educator of the Month.”

Mr. Herbert has been with Franklin County Community Schools for 11 ½ years. Derek attended Grace College and graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Youth Ministry and Information Systems.

Mr. Herbert was nominated for this honor by a student. When asked why Derek should be considered for this recognition, he responded, “Mr. Herbert does everything he can to improve his classes’ environments, makes everyone feel welcome and included, and he is a very nice person.”  When asked what makes Derek stand out from his colleagues, he responded, “He puts a LOT of effort into his work.”

In addition to educating children, Mr. Herbert sponsors four clubs at Franklin County High School (Esports, Students for Life, Robotics Club, and Programming Club). At Franklin County Middle School he sponsors the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. In addition he is also the Director of the Wildcat Esports team at the high school where the team competes against high schools across Indiana. He is also the youth pastor at Cross Point Church in West Harrison, Indiana.

When asked what he likes to do in his “free time”, he responded, “I spend a lot of time with my wife and 3 kids. We do a lot of fun events as a family! I frequently go to Indy Eleven soccer matches and hang out with my friend from college. If I am on my own, my personal time is spent playing video games and streaming them on Twitch, playing drums either for fun or at church on the worship team, or playing board and card gameswith friends or family. I like to tinker with and repair electronic devices, as well as 3D print interesting models from video games and movies.”

When asked what he loves most about his job, Mr. Herbert responded, “The best part of this job is that the students often teach me as much as I teach them. I enjoy teaching our students how to think like an engineer by solving problems, or like a computer scientist to make decisions using data and applications. On the other hand, the students are teaching me how to be patient, kind, gracious, and forgiving. Through all the wonderful, as well as the difficult, moments, they are actually teaching me to be a better teacher, a better person and a better parent. My life would be vastly different if I were not a teacher. Through the successes, the heartbreaks, the failures and the mountaintops in our students’ lives, it is a joy to be a small part of it all. I hope that at the end of the day, students can say their lives were impacted in a positive way from their interactions with me as their teacher.”

The purpose of the “Educator of the Month” program is to recognize outstanding Franklin County educators who demonstrate excellence in the classroom, leadership in the school, dedication to the students, and involvement in the community. Nomination forms for “Educator of the Month” can be found on the school corporation website at www.fccsc.k12.in.us.