Eric Coval is an English teacher and poetry slam coach at Maine East High School. He has taught in the Maine district for the past 15 years after working at Kelvyn Park High School in Chicago for 3 years. Currently, Eric is an Instructional Coach at Maine East, working with other teachers to strive for best practice and student growth in the classroom. As an instructional coach he has been able to attend ISTE, present multiple times at the District 207 “Taste of Tech,” and present at other conferences as well.

For the past 16 years, Eric has coached slam teams in Louder Than a Bomb, the Chicago youth poetry festival. In 2010, he founded Louder Than a Lawnmower, the north suburban poetry festival now in its seventh year in existence. Additionally, he won the Coach of the Year award at Louder Than a Bomb in 2011 and the coaches slam at the event in 2010. Eric has been nominated by students for the Golden Apple Award, the Disney Award for teachers, and the Suave Award for teachers throughout his career.