Hanna works to stay available to students

By Jill Aho

Fisheries instructor Todd Hanna says he doesn’t spend as much time fishing as his students, but spend a few minutes talking with him and it is obvious the man knows fish.

Hanna, 42, was recently honored with the Distinguished Teaching Award. This lover of small towns joined the staff at Mt. Hood Community College in the fall of 1998. He came to the Portland area from Wyoming where he worked for eight years in the game and fish department hatcheries system.

Hanna’s inspiration to teach came from his experience while earning his bachelor’s degree in fisheries and wildlife from Lake Superior State University in Michigan.

He worked in the aquatic research hatchery, and after graduating, managed the facility for two years. While there, he taught practicum and worked with work-study students. He enjoyed the work and said, “When I saw this job advertised, I jumped at it.”

Before joining the MHCC staff, however, Hanna obtained his master’s degree at Montana State University in Bozeman, again in fisheries and wildlife. He said the transition from small to large was difficult.

“It’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever done,” said Hanna. The differences were “big.” Hanna had worked with only a few individuals while in Wyoming, and often those were the only people he would see for a week. At MHCC Hanna sees 40 to 50 students on any given day. Hanna also moved into Portland, which didn’t suit him. He now lives near Hood River in a community at a crossroads.

“One of the things I like most is being part of a program where I get to know students really well,” Hanna said. Students have Hanna for nine classes and he appreciates the uniqueness of students from many age groups. Hanna also enjoys seeing his graduates working and doing well.

Hanna thinks one of the best things a teacher can do is be available. His door is always open and he says he’ll drop what he’s doing to help a student. “I’m here for them,” Hanna said. The other thing he tries to give his students is current information. He said instructors who are dedicated to their field should be willing to learn and to try new things, and “not get stuck in a rut.”

Fisheries students no longer share the building, and Hanna says, “With the room we have, we can do a lot.” Besides caring for fish that will later stock the pond at MHCC, students spend plenty of time in the field. “We try to expose students to most of the things they might see in the field,” Hanna said. Students take trips to state and federal hatcheries because, Hanna said, “you can only go so far in the classroom.”

Hanna took over for retiring Jim Graybill, who ran the program for 26 years. He said he was intimidated because Graybill was well known and respected. “I guess I had to prove myself a little bit,” he said.

Hanna believes that effective communication is the key to student success. “I learn from [my students] as much as they learn from me,” he said.