Tommy Campbell
2003 Louisiana Teacher of the Year
Mr. Campbell teaches Social Studies to students in grades seven and eight. He has six years of teaching experience and is currently teaching at Welsh-Roanoke Junior High School in Roanoke, Louisiana.

What are your beliefs about teaching?
"My approach to teaching, for the most part, is a pragmatic one in which I borrow from proven, successful teaching methods of the past and try new, innovative techniques that are based on sound educational theory."

How are your beliefs incorporated in your teaching style?
"Music and role playing work wonders in holding the attention of even the most unmotivated students. Any activity that has students working with untraditional media and materials, and moving around the classroom, is more effective than, ‘Get out your pencils and notebooks.’ My lesson styles are varied and designed to be interesting and fun enough to hold the attention of middle school students."

What is your greatest teaching accomplishment?
"In my short teaching career, I have made no great accomplishments. I believe the nature of teaching is such that change and progress come about very gradually. One thing twenty-five years of farming has taught me is that some things can't be rushed, no matter how impatient you are for results. Minds are like tiny seed beds that need to be prepared before they are planted, and sometimes less fertile soil needs extra seed to ensure a successful crop. Have I made a difference in the lives of my students? Have I instilled in them, not only knowledge, but an inquiring attitude that will unleash their creative minds to think in ways no other has thought before? Who's to say? Seventh and eighth graders don't heap praise on their teachers like elementary students do. All I do know is that every now and then I see seeds that I have planted sprout and begin to bloom. I see students with poor family situations beat the odds and turn their lives around. I see shy, unconfident kids come out of their shells and take on leadership roles. I see kids who think they are ugly and don't fit in come up to me, fighting back tears and they give me a big old hug and thank me for caring. I receive letters from students who are either too shy or too macho to tell me in person how much they appreciated my teaching methods and my concern for them in and out of the classroom. Great accomplishments? Only time will tell."

What's the most critical issue facing educators?
“By far, the most talked about buzz-word in education today is "accountability." Once again, education has become a political pawn being moved about by the winds of public opinion - a public convinced of the fact that today's educational system is not doing as good a job as when they were in school themselves. Isn't it human nature to remember things as being better than they actually were?”

What do you think can be done to solve this issue?
"When striving to make teachers accountable, I believe a broad-based approach is best. Formal evaluations using Professional Growth Plans, observations, job descriptions and self-evaluations are all well and good, but they have been used for years with unsatisfactory results. Principals can tell as much by glancing into a teacher's classroom each time they pass in the hall. I feel we, as educators, need to make ourselves accountable and open to constructive criticism from administrators, other teachers, our students and even parents. Who better to evaluate a teacher than students who have shared a classroom with the teacher for 180 days? Why not open classrooms for critique from parents who are concerned enough about the kind of instruction being delivered to their children? When we, as teachers, quit thinking of accountability as punishment and begin to realize that its true purpose is to improve the effectiveness of instruction, test scores and education as a whole will improve."

One thought to inspire teachers to excel
"Benjamin Franklin, the wise old statesman from Pennsylvania, gave this advice to young inexperienced patriots as they molded the future of our country ‘We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.’ The same holds true for educators today. What we do, needs to be a calling, not a job. It should be a challenge, not a chore. As we face new and challenging social problems that have a tremendous effect on a student's ability to learn and interact, we need to be willing to go the extra mile to meet their needs. Teachers need to accept the challenge of educating those children who need it the most. Experienced educators need to willingly place themselves in inner city schools instead of seeking positions far behind the front lines. We need to learn how to love the unlovely and embrace improvement, no matter how small. Teachers need to cooperate rather than compete with each other. To sum it up, we need to be willing to sacrifice for the good of all, as our country's early leaders did. High prices are put on things that are of great importance. It is fitting that we, as educators, are asked to ante up and give the best we have to make our children the best they can be."

One lesson every student should learn
"I feel that the most important lesson any student can learn is that attitude is more important than ability."

Favorite Teaching Tool
"I like to use role play in the classroom as much as possible. It is the best way to help students apply learning to real-life situations."

Favorite web site:
www.nationalgeographic.com – National Geographic
www.pbs.org/tal/un – The United Nations graphical tour
www.eduplace.com – K–8 Education place
www.50states.com – 50 States
www.loc.gov – The Library of Congress