After spending the first 6 years after high school in the Army teaching found Tom. Working with the “At-Risk” students in his district has been the biggest challenge and provided the most rewards. He gets to work with such a wide range of students in his school that there is no room for complacency. When he is not being a teacher he loves being outdoors with his family: hiking, biking, camping, paddling, fishing, hunting… as long as he has an open sky over his head he is at peace with himself.
The thing Tom likes about the WEB program is seeing their leaders take ownership of the school culture. He was taken back the first few years when he would be talking to 8th graders and they would say hi to a sixth grader and have the sixth grader get excited and say, “That’s my WEB leader.” One of his favorite things to do with leaders is sharing leadership. Giving the students a chance to share about and hearing the kids talk about when they stepped up and went big is the coolest thing. He is always amazed at the hidden jewels that reveal themselves.
