Focus on Faculty: tc Hanmer on Making School Matter
tc Hanmer has only ever wanted to be two things: a veterinarian or a teacher. “When I realized how much math and biology there is in being a veterinarian, I thought for the safety of everyone, I should probably switch to teaching,” they joke. Rivers has certainly benefited from that career decision, with Hanmer’s care and creativity reaching far and wide at the school through their varied roles on campus since joining the community in 2022.
A member of the English faculty, Hanmer also most recently served as Grade 12 dean and Upper School DEI coordinator. In March, they were named the next director of DEI programming and support at Rivers, a role they will begin in the fall. In the English Department, Hanmer teaches English 11 and two signature Grade 12 electives: Dystopian Literature and Identity and Intersectionality.
“Dystopian Literature is definitely my child,” Hanmer says. “I love science fiction, and I love dystopian literature.” The course is divided into three parts: monster, alien, and zombie dystopias; technology dystopias; and government dystopias.
“I make it really clear that we are talking about hypothetical worlds,” Hanmer explains. “We can talk about the ways in which we may or may not see elements of those worlds reflected in our world, but ultimately the point of the class is to talk about how a person can craft an engaging dystopia.”
Hanmer created Identity and Intersectionality in response to student feedback requesting more electives highlighting marginalized voices. Students engage with the themes of identity and intersectionality through literature, and they also examine their own understanding of and relationship to those themes through writing and discussion. “I spend a lot of the first two or three classes trying really hard to model that this is not a class where you’re going to be praised for just repeating what I’ve said,” Hanmer says. “I want you to have your own opinion. I want this to be a conversation.”
That desire for authentic engagement is core to Hanmer’s philosophy as an educator. Hanmer’s hope for students is that they learn to think critically consistently enough that they are actively creating the lives they want to live, rather than waiting until they’re miles down the road to look back and realize where life has taken them.
“I don’t necessarily care if they remember all the books we read or if they even remember me,” Hanmer adds. “School needs to feel like it matters to them. I care about making it feel important to them in the moment, so that it leaves some sort of core impression.”
This story originally appeared in the spring 2026 edition of the Riparian, Rivers’ alumni magazine.
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