By: Abe Wolf

Mr. Myler has been a beloved teacher here at Eisenhower, creating a welcoming and friendly environment for students and staff, and making people look forward to coming to school, especially his students. However, the departure of this beloved teacher has created heartache for many when he completed his last day on February 13. As he leaves, he begins the next chapter of his life as the head coach of Edinboro University Tennis, bringing along his wife, Jen, and his son, Issac.  

     Mr. Myler worked as a special education teacher here at Eisenhower, head coach of the Warren boys tennis team, and assistant coach of the Warren girls tennis team. His last season was the boys spring season of 2023, where he oversaw the Dragons achieving a spot in the District 10 AA finals against Cathedral Prep. The season unfortunately ended there, with a triumphant win in the semifinals against Fairview before that. He will be missed as a tennis coach, a teacher, and leader in the building.  

     The Squire sat down with Mr. Myler to get a deeper look into his life, and what Edinboro will bring for him in the coming years. 

The Squire: Recently, you have run a marathon in Florida. How did that go and what was unique about it?  

Mr. Myler: That was awesome! It was actually super cool. I’m glad I did it, and it was a lot of prep. I started running about six months prior, and the longest run I had in the first week was like two miles, and I built all the way up to twenty-one miles. The marathon itself was super cool. You’re in Orlando at Walt Disney World, so I got to see all these characters and run through all these parks, so, yeah, it was cool. It was just a fun experience! I had never run one before. People are always like “So is that a one-and-done?” And I say, “Never say never.” I’m not actively planning, like six months from now I’m running another one, but it was good! I didn’t have a particular time I was going for, so it was more just to make sure I could finish, so I did that, which made me happy! 

TS: What degrees have you gotten or attempted to get and what jobs have you had prior to teaching? How did you get into teaching special education? 

MM: So, I went to Edinboro for my bachelor’s degree from 1999 to 2003, then I went to England to the University of Manchester for two years, where I got my master’s degree in European History. Then I came home and tried to get into the military – I was actually medically disqualified for having tight heel cords, which is funny because I later tore my Achilles’ tendons. I then went back to school and got my teaching certification at Edinboro, and was working towards a master’s degree in education, that I never finished. Then I taught for two years and left to go to law school, where I went to Duquesne. I attended for two years. Then, I quit that and left academia behind for a few years. I got into the world of finance and did a bunch of different bank jobs, worked as a financial advisor, got my financial licenses and all kinds of that stuff. I was feeling really unfulfilled, so I decided to come back to teaching, and then I got a master’s degree in special education, also at Edinboro. 

TS: If you could use one song to describe your time here in the Warren County School District, what would it be? 

MM: I don’t know, actually. Well, the first song I thought about was “Party in the U.S.A.” by Miley Cyrus, so I don’t know if that’s always the way it would be, but I really enjoyed my time here! 

TS: What will you miss the most about being a teacher here at Eisenhower? 

MM: The students, the kids, the people. I think that if you’re not a people person, you’re not going to be a good educator. You’re just not! You have to recognize that you’re not only shaping people’s brains, but also their hearts and how they act, and who they’re going to be one day. I think that’s truly going to be the hardest part, and that’s the part I’m going to miss the most is interacting with students. 

TS: As a former Edinboro tennis player and former Warren tennis coach, what can you bring to the table from your high school coaching experience and from your days as a player in college? 

MM: Well, I think one of the big things, from my playing experience, is that I have a shared experience with these kids. It’s one of the things that I was talking to them about the other day, like tennis has changed, but it also hasn’t. The rules are the same and the game is pretty much the same. Just the players change. So I think I know what they’ve been through. [I know] what to say and what to do, and that I have a lot of coaching experiences that I’m able to bring to the table. High school and college – it is very different. The level of play is really high, but it’s still the same game, so you can still say a lot of the same things with it still being applicable. 

TS: What are your ambitions as the Edinboro Tennis head coach? 

MM: To really just make sure that I get the name of the university out there. You know, sports are a part of life, but they’re not the only part, so bringing in kids who are going to be strong academically and athletically, representing the university to the best of our abilities, and really trying to keep the program as strong as possible is what’s important to me! The men’s team right now is one of the top fifty programs in the country, and it’s going to be my job to keep it that way, and I will build the women’s team to be that way, if not stronger.  

TS: Finally, what advice do you have for staff members facing big career decisions, or even general decisions in life? 

MM: First and foremost, speak with your spouse and make sure they’re on board. See how it affects your family, and the best advice I’ve got actually came from my older brother who said, “Thirty years from now, when you’re looking back, would you feel worse if you didn’t try it versus if you did try it?” And one of the biggest things for me is that I just kept thinking about how I’m going to look back on my life, and I think I would have felt a lot more regret had I not taken the opportunity to do this. 

     The Squire would like to thank Mr. Myler for his time. On behalf of the student body, The Squire would like to wish good luck to Mr. Myler in his future endeavors and wish him a great time as he begins the newest and most exciting chapter of his life. And from myself, for the time I got to with spend with Mr. Myler, from passing in the halls to tennis practices and matches, from the encouragement and wise words to some of the funniest moments I have experienced, it has been a pleasure to have a role model like you, Mr. Myler, and I would like to thank you for the influence you have had in shaping me into the person and tennis player I am today. Go Fighting Scots!