Mr. Thomas is teaching Positive Psychology and AP Psychology at BHS, classes that Kaitlyn Morris taught last year. Mr. Thomas traveled around 7,000 miles from Dubai, a city in the United Arab Emirates on the Persian Gulf, to continue his teaching career.
Mr. Thomas previously taught at a private school, where the rigorous environment allowed him to work with many students in various situations. According to Mr. Thomas, “From living in Korea to Dubai, I have gotten the chance to work in many diverse environments.” He explained, “It was more the external circumstances that brought me there. I was in Abu Dhabi before, and I had the opportunity to join the sister school in Dubai, start up an AP program there as well, and I lived with my wife who traveled for her job. The school had fewer locals, a different demographic body, and I had a chance to work with many bright kids.”
Mr. Thomas has developed extensive experience in diverse methods of instruction. His previous school was part of the International Baccalaureate (IB) program, a curriculum whose approach, according to Mr. Thomas, is “inquiry-based and task-based, with the teacher acting more as a guide. Teachers would set up and provide resources, but students were expected to take ownership and work together to meet syllabus objectives.”
As Mr. Thomas worked with kids that had a wide range of learning styles, he knows how to help fit different kinds of learning in with his lessons. He adds “whether a student is a visual learner, auditory, or anything in between, I will work with them to make it as easy and informative as possible.” He later noted that while students at this school also work hard and take responsibility, AP classes may pose more challenges. In IB, students spend two years on a single course, allowing more time for collaborative and independent learning. In contrast, AP classes in the U.S. can be as short as a semester, which may limit similar opportunities.
Adding on to how he got used to the big switch, Mr. Thomas shared how he has already adapted to his new courses. He states, “Within my month of teaching here at Berkley, I found that many students are more familiar with the topics we talk about. In terms of number of assignments, we most likely won’t have the same exact scope that we might have had in the past, in particular my previous school, because they didn’t have jobs, and most kids junior and senior year gave up sports so they could focus on their academics, so it is a very big adjustment, but a good one.” Mr. Thomas seems to highlight students’ hard work and passion that they have for their education, which shows he will be very supportive with his future of teaching at Berkley High.
Mr. Thomas expressed that he is very excited for the rest of the year and future at BHS. If anyone wants to stop by and learn more about Mr. Thomas, schedule a time when he is available, usually after school and sometimes at lunch, in room 273. Mr. Thomas lastly stated that he is “excited to attend the social activities coming up that can give insight into the culture here at Berkley.”
