For 19 years, as our Special Education Language Arts Resource Teacher here at Ashland Middle School, Greg Hanzel has been motivated by the question, “What can I do that’s going to help the world?” Fortunately for our community and us, Greg has answered that question through his work with our students. “As soon as the kids come in, everything else drops away. I’m fully engaged with making connections with kids, and whenever you do, whenever you see kids learning and coming to understand some concept or idea, it makes it all worthwhile. I get to be the light in someone’s life, and that makes me feel good.”
Growing up in Western Pennsylvania, Greg’s life took a hard turn when his brothers introduced him to The Grateful Dead at age 15. From his first concert at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, Greg found himself moving in a different direction from his upbringing. He attended college at Evergreen State College in Washington where he met his wife, Rachel, and studied biology and restoration ecology. After a brief stint with the Forest Service in Olympia, Greg and Rachel moved to Missoula, Montana so Rachel could finish up her education. It was there that Greg first tried out teaching as an Educational Assistant, working for 3 years at a local high school and elementary school, before applying to a teaching program. It was in 2003 when Greg and Rachel moved to Ashland so Greg could do the teaching program at SOU. Impressed by the natural beauty and the long growing season, they decided to settle in Ashland. Greg was immediately hired in 2004 and has been a fixture here at AMS since. “I remember a 7th grade teacher of mine telling me I was a slacker and that I would never amount to anything. That is something that has stuck with me all these years. I never want one of my students to hear that.”
Greg and Rachel have two daughters—Tehya, 15, a sophomore at AHS who loves art, and Evelyn, 12, who is at Siskiyou School. In addition to raising a family, Greg loves skiing up on Mt. A (especially with his daughters) and traveling internationally. Last summer, his family visited Ireland, the Netherlands, and Belgium. Wherever they go this summer, we’re so happy to have Greg keep coming back to Ashland Middle School.