Eric Scheck, ’04, attended Muskingum from Tri-Valley High School in Nashport, Ohio. He says, “The fact that the class sizes were all relatively small allowed for the faculty to get to know each student and was something that I felt would benefit me in the long run.”
Scheck has been teaching history and coaching basketball since his graduation from Muskingum. He spent four years at his high school alma mater as a history teacher and assistant basketball coach. He then transitioned to Utica High School, where he became head basketball coach and continued teaching. He is now a history teacher and head basketball coach at Newark Catholic High School, where he has been since 2011.
Scheck says the attention given to future educators by faculty in Muskingum’s Education Department was “top-notch.” He adds, “As any rookie teacher can attest to, you are never quite sure of the profession (or how well you will actually do) when you finally get that first job, but I quickly figured out that our professors had done an outstanding job of not only preparing us for the education profession, but had provided us with several opportunities and experiences prior to joining the work force that many of my fellow colleagues had not been provided with during their studies elsewhere.”
Scheck was recruited to play basketball at Muskingum. He says, “I quickly learned that the college game did not come as easily to me as it did at the high school level. However, the toughness and discipline that I learned from playing for Coach Burson for four years has helped me to handle the many different adversities that life can throw at you - particularly the ups and downs of the coaching profession.”