BLYTHEWOOD -- Preston Thorne, or as most call him ¨Coach T.¨ has a very great success story. He is a prime example of how hard work can take people very far. As Blythewood´s African American Studies teacher, he makes his lessons interesting, positive, and interactive.
One of the most beloved coaches and teachers in Blythewood history, Thorne has earned the respect of students from freshmen to seniors.
At Blythewood
Before teaching, he worked at a car wash, as a janitor and more. Surprisingly, this is the only real teaching job he has had. Though he says it is a ¨challenging¨ job he also says it’s ¨interesting.¨
He considers the bravest thing he does on a regular basis is being ¨honest¨ and ¨open¨ with his students.
The energy of his classroom is happy, with a very obvious warm teacher to student connection . Often, colleagues and his older students come to his classroom to converse and bring him food.
When in and around room 103 you will always hear students laughing and see them smiling, with freedom most teachers don´t give their students like the ability to eat and to be on their cellphones.
Then again, as Ms. Felicia Daniels the Global Society guidance counselour says ¨Heś just a great teacher¨; maybe he is the only teacher that knows how to balance his lessons and freetime for students without being somewhat arrogantly blunt or unclear.
When He Is Not Teaching
His most recent accomplishment is writing a childrenś book. A process he says ¨was long with a lot of rewriting and editing¨ however, in the end it turned out to be ¨very rewarding¨.
¨I´ve always wanted to write a book, period¨, Thorne said. ¨So in the process of writing that , just creating more and more stories, so just the process of creation I came up with this.¨ The book was released in July and it is entitled Just A Chicken.
As an adult, some of the sad things he has experience was one of his best friends being put in jail and another one dying in a car accident. His strongest beliefs are people being able to change their situations and the world is inherently a good place.
If he could change one thing about his life,Thorne says with a sincere voice and look in his eyes, he would probably have ¨more courage and be less afraid¨. He doesn´t imagine his life without being a teacher if he was not teaching in a classroom it would always be some form of teaching because he is in love with teaching and learning.
Maybe he is the only teacher at Blythewood who looks at his job as an actual benefit for himself. Thorne is a humble and hard working man, with a big heart. It´s rare to see a teacher have that much of a great effect on his students.
