Tyler Harfst

Intro

Meet Tyler Harfst, an assistant principal in the Grand Rapids area and father to two young children. Raised in a family of educators, Tyler knew he wanted to be a high school teacher since his own high school days. His favorite aspects of teaching include connecting with students and watching them grow throughout their high school journey. Tyler coordinated Grandville High School's Senior Survivor Program, where students lived at school for an entire week, raising money for the Student Assistance Fund

Life at SVSU

Tyler had some familiarity with SVSU, as his brother went to school here. He liked that after going to the campus once, you had your bearings and could find where things were, it wasn’t too big to get lost easily. Tyler also attended SVSU because he liked the education program that they offered.

While at SVSU Tyler was involved in intermural sports. He was also close with his education cohort. He liked that you stay with the same group of people throughout the entire program. That way he became close with all of them, as well as with the professors because the class sizes were small. He student taught at John Glenn High School in Bay City. Tyler knew since he was in high school that teaching high schoolers was his best fit, he felt that he had the most to offer for students of that age.

Life after SVSU

After graduating from SVSU, Tyler moved back to the west side of the state, where he taught at Comstock Park High School, then moved to Grandville High School to teach social studies. While at the high school, Tyler was the varsity baseball coach. He loved watching his players be passionate about the sport, just like he was at their age.

Tyler is very proud of the Senior Survivor Program at Grandville High School. The program was a fundraiser for the Student Assistance Fund, to help provide supplies and support to students who couldn’t otherwise afford it. The students would live at school for a full week without their phones and compete to earn the most points and raise the most money. He was involved in coordinating the program for the students, and loved to watch the program grow and the students have tons of fun.

This fall, Tyler will be starting in a new position as the Assistant Principal at Grandville Middle School! Although he loves teaching, he is excited to connect with students in a different way – one that emphasizes accountability while also ensuring that they have a supportive adult on their side.

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