Students at Wichita State have the option to take the first-seminar course, “Superheroes Go to School.” Throughout the class, education professor Daniel Bergman who has been teaching this course since 2016, steers students through superhero stories to apply them to their personal growth.

Connecting stories to the real world inspired Bergman to write his book, “Teaching is for Superheros!”. The novel, published in May, aims to help current and future teachers engage with K-12 students  and shows the similarities between being a teacher and superhero. 

“I saw a lot of parallels between what goes on in the superhero stories and what goes on in the teaching world, in schools and in the classroom,” Bergman said. “It’s not just inspiration; it’s also information.” 

Bergman’s long-time love for comics can be seen in his downstairs office, which is filled with comic books and action figures. He said that “Teaching is for Superheroes!”  takes on a comic book theme to make it reader-friendly and interactive. 

“(I) try to make it have that visual appeal – that visual language of viewing splash bubbles and word balloons and things like that,” Bergman said.

Throughout the book, readers will also see common superhero quotes, such as “With great power comes great responsibility.” 

Bergman said while some of his class topics are also used in his book, the audience for each differs. In his first-seminar course, he focuses on the student’s personal application, whereas his book is more educator-specific. 

Because Bergman cannot show videos or do activities with readers like he can in the classroom, Bergman added video suggestions and thought bubbles throughout his book. Reflection questions appear at the end of each chapter. 

“I think they (readers) can learn from it and get new information, or review and reflect on information,” Bergman said. “I also wanted to make it something that … that’s kind of visually appealing and catches my eye.”

Bergman wrote a few chapters for “Teaching is for Superheroes!”  five years ago.. Last year, after 16 years of working at Wichita State, he decided to apply for a sabbatical semester to finish his book. 

Bergman completed the first draft of “Teaching is for Superheroes!” in spring of 2022. 

Bergman said he has already had conversations with students and faculty about his newly released book and hopes to help both with their own publishing endeavors by sharing his experiences. Bergman also said he wants to inspire people that read his book to consider becoming an educator.  

“It’s a dream of mine that somebody reads the book and says, ‘Yeah, I want to be a teacher too,’” Bergman said.  

Over the next few semesters,Bergman will give conference presentations and visit schools to talk about his novel. With over 60 publications now, he said he is already getting ideas for his next one, possibly about superheroes and science.  

“Thinking of ideas . . . really energizes me, thinking of ways you can inspire people and help them,” Bergman said.

“Teaching is for Superheroes!” is available at the Shocker Bookstore or Barnes and Noble in Wichita. Readers can find the 11-chapter book and more information at teachingisforsuperheroes.com. Schools can also bulk order for their teachers at a discounted rate.  

“Anybody can teach. It’s something that anybody can do,” Bergman said. “Sharing that love and sharing that passion with others, I think, makes a big difference.”