Teacher Spotlight: Tommy Nester!

Tommy Nester | 8th Grade Social Studies

Q: How long have you been teaching?

A: 15 years

Q: What inspired you to pursue a career in education?

A: I had a deep love and passion for history and wanted to be able to pass that love down to my students. I also had a desire to work with youth and help to shape their futures in the classroom.

Q: What is your favorite thing about teaching or your biggest success story?

A: Each year our students take the West Virginia Golden Horseshoe test in March and it test the knowledge of our students on the state. Only 4 students in our county can receive this award so its always an honor to see students receive this award after viewing them work hard in class each day and working to their full potential. I have had all four winners several years and had almost 40 winners in my classroom. As a 2002 Golden Horseshoe winner I always enjoy passing it down to my students.

Q: What challenges do you face in the classroom?

A: A lot of students are not engaged in social studies or dislike the subject area but I strive to motivate my students in helping to make them civically engaged students for their future out of the classroom and instill state pride in them.

Q: If you use Gallopade Curriculum or supplemental resources, how do they make a difference in your classroom?

A: Gallopade Curriculum has changed my approach to teaching and gave me a fresh look into teaching my curriculum. It has been engaging for my students and helped to make my classroom more interactive while engaging them in higher level thinking skills.

Q: What is something that every student should know about teachers?

A: I think it is important to know that teaching is a work of heart and that their teachers truly care about them and want to see them do their best in life.

Q: What advice would you impart to a new teacher or someone who wants to become a teacher?

A: I think as a new teacher it is important to ask for help and lean on the experienced teachers in your school. As a veteran teacher I still am able to learn new things from other teachers in the building so I would encourage new teachers to really become engaged in life long learning in their careers. It is one of the things I love about teaching that I can still learn new things and incorporate it into my classroom to better engage my students.

Q: What do you love to do when you're not teaching?

A: When not teaching, I love spending time with my wife, Kim, and our two daughters Gabby and Sophia. We love exploring our state and taking trips. I also enjoy performing musical theater productions in the local community and also directing youth theater productions.

Thank you Tommy, we're so happy to be able to showcase teachers who are doing amazing work in their students' lives!

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