MR. THOMPSON!!!
You may have never heard your name yelled at you like this, but for our new 6th and 7th grade math teacher, Andrew Thompson, this is a daily occurrence.
“I have one student who comes into my classroom at the start of the hour and screams at the top of her lungs ‘MR. THOMPSON!’ It has now developed into multiple students. It gets a little loud but is a bright spot in my day every single day,” Mr. Thompson explained.
It is not hard to see the joy and excitement in our students. NLA strives to create an environment where each individual can be who God created them to be. This includes chasing passions, developing knowledge, and most importantly, growing deeper in their relationship with Christ. Mr. Thompson’s desire to teach math comes from his own enjoyment of the subject, as well as wanting to help students develop a growth mindset that everyone has the ability to do math, even if they don’t like it. To engage his students more in the subject, he uses real-world scenarios to apply math concepts, such as figuring out the cost of food and tax at a local restaurant.
“Students at NLA have such an amazing opportunity to receive a high level of education while also deepening their faith,” Mr. Thompson shared.
This is foundational to his teaching. He also talked about the importance of being yourself. There is an increase of value placed on authenticity – this rings true for teachers as much as it does for students.
“Students know when a teacher is an authentic person, and that is vital in a classroom.” He continued, “I want to be able to make a lasting impact on my students. I hope they remember me as someone who creates a fun learning environment and truly cares about every single student.”
We are so grateful to have Mr. Thompson on our team and are excited for the impact he will have on students while here!