Deborah Thomas – Candidate for School Board – Biography
Growing up in Knoxville, Tennessee, I knew early on that I wanted to be a teacher. My parents are to credit for everything good I’ve ever accomplished; they were my earliest teachers, as was my older brother who came home from kindergarten and taught me everything I needed to know. It’s no surprise that we both became teachers.
I earned my bachelor’s degree at the University of Tennessee, where I double-majored in English literature and Latin and minored in secondary education. I completed my year-long teaching internship at Fulton High School in Knoxville. Then I earned my master’s degree in Educational Curriculum and Instruction and landed my first teaching job as the Latin teacher at Bearden Middle and Bearden High Schools in Knoxville. In my spare time, I planned my wedding and married Chuck in 1994.
In 2000, we moved to South Carolina so that Chuck could pursue a PhD in bioengineering at Clemson. I taught freshman English at Palmetto High School in Williamston. In 2001, I was honored to be a founding member of our Freshman Academy, which aimed to curb the dropout rate. I also began serving on teacher committees with the South Carolina Department of Education in Columbia.
In 2005 after Chuck earned his PhD, we moved to Georgia. I continued to serve on teacher committees with the South Carolina Department of Education, and I joined two colleagues in writing the state’s assessments in 2007. In 2008, Bryce was born, and I began contracting with Pearson Education. For the past ten years, I have served as both a writer and an assessment specialist for Pearson, which develops standardized assessments in conjunction with departments of education and teachers from around each state.
What am I most proud of? In Knoxville, I built the numbers in my Latin program and garnered the support of families who sent me all their kids, which was the greatest compliment. In South Carolina, I helped kids learn to love learning; they never wanted to leave the building at the end of the day—another great compliment. I view my assessment work through the lens of a teacher; my students are still my guides. And though it was difficult to leave the classroom, I found new purpose as Bryce’s mom and as an active member of this fabulous Lakeland community.
What is your vision for the Lakeland School System over the next four years?
My vision for the Lakeland School System over the next four years is a complete school system that offers Lakeland families an exemplary education for all of our children, from kindergarten through twelfth grade.
What is the major issue for the Lakeland School System now and how do you address it?The major issue facing the Lakeland School System now is how best to support our growing school system to maintain the excellence that has been established by Lakeland Elementary. How do we ensure that excellence is maintained at all of our schools during a time of rapid growth? We have the right people in place. Nothing is more important to schools than the relationships on which they are built. Lakeland is already fortunate to lead the way with caring, engaged teachers and administrators who make each student a priority; with actively involved parents whose work with their children at home supports teachers’ efforts; and with eager, inspiring students who can aspire to great heights with the foundation of this support! The people in our community are the key to ensuring that all of our schools succeed.
Why are you the person needed to guide the School System’s future? List your capabilities.
Between my thirteen years of teaching and my experience as a parent involved in LES and LMPS, I have the unique perspective of being both on my feet in front of a classroom and in volunteer roles that support teachers and the schools—including at home with my own son. I have shepherded hundreds of students through middle and high school, as well as my own son through elementary school. Putting students first was never something I had to learn; it was my prime directive. It has been thirteen years since I left the classroom, but you never really take the “teacher” out of a teacher.
Describe your involvement in the Lakeland community.
My family moved to Lakeland in 2009 when my son was a year old. We began attending St. Paul United Methodist Church in 2010 and joined in 2011. I have served on various committees at St. Paul, including stewardship, and I rotate as one of several volunteers for our children’s message ministry on Sunday mornings. I also sing in the choir. As for volunteering at our schools, it has been my great pleasure to help with our Veterans Day programs at LES for several years, and as a lover of books, I have volunteered in the LES library for several years as well. I served as room mom every year except my son’s kindergarten year, and I proctored during TCAPs as well. When there was a need at LES, I signed up, and I am taking that same approach at LMPS, where I serve on the Board of Managers of the PTO as Membership chair.
