Robert began teaching Family and Consumer Sciences at Mount Vernon High School in 2013. He has taught Beginning Foods, Life After High School, Careers in Education, Nutrition, and Leadership. He has also been an adviser for Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) and Social Justice Club. He has taken students to national competitions where they have earned top honors for projects such as Nutrition and Wellness, Recycle and Redesign, and Advocacy. Robert enjoys taking on new challenges and helping every student realize the potential he sees in them.
Robert is a bundle of energy and positivity. Between classes, music spills from his classroom, and he is in the hall greeting kids with a smile, a fist bump, or a unique handshake he shares with them. Robert makes a point to say hello to every student to make them feel visible and welcome. If you enter his classroom at any point in the day, you might find him teaching students how to deconstruct a chicken and make three meals out of it on a budget, teaching how to balance a budget, or teaching students about what it takes to pursue their dream of becoming a teacher.
Robert also takes advantage of any opportunity he can to perfect his craft and contribute to his school culture. He's been a member of the School Engagement and Culture Committee as well as the District Equity Team in Mount Vernon. He was also instrumental in helping to develop an online curriculum for the Recruiting Washington Teachers program for the Professional Educator Standards Board.
“Mr Hand has gone out of his way to help students like us that encounter many barriers while trying to graduate from high school,” says a former student. “Some of the barriers that I faced were not having English as my first language, living in a low income home, and being undocumented. However there Is one other thing that made It harder for me to focus 100% in school - I got pregnant at 16. Any other teacher would have given up on me but Mr. Hand loves to get to know all his students to try to facilitate and nourish their learning experience. Mr. Hand got to know my struggles and did what a lot of other teachers didn't he actually acknowledged them. After this he didn't lower his expectations of me because he knew I was as capable as any other student who had the privileges I didn't. With Mr. Hand’s support throughout high school I got to discover my true potential. When I enrolled in Skagit Valley Collage, I kept that ‘I can do anything’ mindset that Mr. Hand taught me. I am about to transfer onto a 4-year university and pursue a career as an educator. None of this could have been possible without Mr. Hand always being by my side no matter what.”
