Staff Spotlight: Mr. Yarman

*4th Grade Teacher*

By: BHS Staff Profiles 

January 12, 2024

Chosen for this week’s Staff Spotlight is Mr. Patrick Yarman. This is currently Mr. Yarman’s sixteenth year in the Brooklyn City School District. He started here in Brooklyn, then left and became an assistant principal in Parma at Pearl Road Elementary. After Parma, he came back to Brooklyn in the roles of elementary principal followed by elementary teacher. In his free time, he likes to go on cruises; he has been on 21 cruises, all together. Yes, he enjoys traveling and has been to Europe, Alaska, and all over the Caribbean. He also likes sports. Mr. Yarman can be found at Guardians games over the Summer as he is a ticket-taker, an usher, and sometimes a security worker. He also loves food and cooking. Finally, he is a model railroader with train sets in his basement. On gloomy days, he spends most of his time in the basement, working on his model trains. Something interesting about Mr. Yarman, but also a sad fact, is that he is retiring this year. 

Q: How has work been since the return from Christmas vacation?

A: “It has been quite tiring because the kids are all falling asleep. It has been exciting because we are past the halfway mark. My fourth graders are closer to fifth graders now than they were before the break.” 

Q: What is the most rewarding aspect of teaching fourth graders? 

A: “It is definitely the growth that you see in them. You have them as young children and then they grow up right before your eyes. It is insane.”

Q: What is a work memory that stands out to you? 

A: “On a sadder note, I was teaching sixth grade at the time when September 11 occurred; I just remember how bizarre that was. The teacher across the hall from me came in and whispered in my ear that a plane had hit the World Trade Center. We continued on with teaching until she came in and told us that a second plane had hit the towers, telling me that it was a terrorist attack. Just trying to keep the students calm because parents were starting to pick up students. By the end of the day, we had roughly eight scared children during lunch. It was silent as we watched the news.”

Q: Why did you choose to teach math?

A: “The reason I chose math is because I taught math my entire career. I was not the best math student when I was a child. I did, however, have this teacher, and her name was Mrs. Over. She always told us that everybody is good at something and maybe you just have not found it yet. That year, I figured out that I can work with numbers.”  

Q: What did you do over Christmas vacation?

A: “We did some traveling. My brother-in-law lives in South Carolina, so we decided to visit him. We relaxed and then just spent a quiet Christmas at home with my daughter and her husband.”

Q: Favorite sport to watch? Favorite team to root for?

A: “Baseball and the Cleveland Guardians.”

Q: What is your ideal pet?

A: “My two cats. I love them because they are independent and loving.”

Q: What is the best concert that you have been to?

A: “Depeche Mode.” 

Thank you for letting us interview you, Mr. Yarman. We wish you the best of luck as you conclude your educational career. More importantly, enjoy retirement and keep traveling!