about mr. maynard
Mr. Maynard with his awesome Battle of the Books team from several years ago.
Here is a photo of the library checkout system in my classroom.
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Monday, January 5, 2026
Dear Students, Parents and Readers, Thanks for visiting my site. Here is some brief information about me, Mr. Maynard. I have 13+ years of teaching experience. In the past I have primarily taught Reading, Social Studies and Writing to fifth- and sixth-graders. For one year, I exclusively taught eighth-grade Social Studies, which was a big change. I truly love teaching, specifically the daily opportunity to interact with children, who are just so amazing and inspiring. |
Honestly, for as much as I try to give my students on a daily basis, I feel that they give me so much more. Thus, I feel obligated to give them all that I can.
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Ironically, I never dreamed of being a teacher as a young child. Growing up in Chicago during the late eighties and early nineties, I naturally wanted to be an NBA player, thanks to my fascination with the Chicago Bulls. When it was becoming apparent in high school that my playing days were winding to an end, my ambitions shifted towards becoming a sports writer. I went to undergrad at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where I majored in broadcast journalism. While doing some sports reporting in North Carolina and then working some business writing jobs, I felt like something was missing in my life. Thus, I made one of the best decisions in my life, going back to graduate school to become an elementary-school teacher.
At the end of my undergraduate experience, I started thinking about teaching, in large part due to my background. I grew up in a large, extended family of many cousins. As the oldest boy in my family, I got to see many of my cousins grow up, and always enjoyed spending time with the younger kids. With teaching naturally a great opportunity to work with children, I attended graduate school at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), where in 2012 I earned my Master's degree in Elementary Education.
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Mr. Maynard as a young baller in grade school
Michael Jordan was the sports idol of my youth.
I went to the U-of-I in Champaign for undergrad.
My large family of many cousins.
I learned how to become a teacher at UIC.
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I taught for 13+ years in Chicago Public Schools (CPS). My first five years at John C. Dore Elementary School truly went fast, while my next eight-plus years at Irene C. Hernandez Middle School were a whirlwind, especially since the pandemic in 2020 and 2021. Recently, I decided to take a break from teaching as the profession has become more and more difficult and taxing, especially on my mental health. I am using this hiatus as a time to recharge my batteries and consider my next steps, whether in education or another field. I am excited to see what is store in my future, though I miss my former students dearly.
In my free time, I like to hang out with my nephews Sean, Eamon and Graham, and my niece Birdie, all of whom live in Wisconsin. I also like to read, run daily, ride my exercise bike, and play and write about the game of basketball. I enjoy spending weekends fishing with my Dad. Last but not least, I enjoy collecting old sports figures from my youth called Starting Lineups. I have a very large collection and even paint my own custom figures for fun. I also have several pets. A little more than a decade ago I adopted a greyhound named Garrett. Sadly he passed away a the end of last school year after a good, long life. I also have 13 turtles (7 at home, 6 at school). During my second year of teaching I bought two turtles for my classroom. In that time, my collection grew, as students gave me their turtles and I bought some more of my own. Well, now that you know more about me, I look forward to getting to know more about you. In the meantime, feel free to ask me a question in the comments below. As always, you can reach me at [email protected]. Sincerely, :-) Mr. Maynard :-) 
Catching a catfish while fishing with my Dad several summers ago
My home turtles, chilling out on top of each other.
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Former Bulldog
Then a Husky!
Now a free agent? :-)
My niece Birdie, 9, and nephews Sean, 11, and Eamon, 2, live in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which is about an hour-and-a-half from Chicago.
My nephew Graham, 2, lives in Green Bay, Wisconsin, which is about 3 hours away from Chicago.
My late greyhound Garrett was the lighter dog on the left side of the couch. The other greyhound was my parents' dog Hugo. Both have sadly passed on, but their memories remain. This picture captures both dogs getting caught sneaking on the couch a few summers ago.
While I don't have a dog anymore, I like to hang out with my parents' greyhound Cam, who is 3 years old and a really sweet pal.
Just a small part of my collection of sports figures.
My 50-gallon tank with most of my turtles
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