Through 14 years as an art teacher at Seaton Elementary,  Terry Thomas  has remained committed to lifelong learning. “I believe I must constantly work to improve my craft as a teacher in order to better serve the students that I teach,” she says. “I owe it to my students to be the best that I can be and to provide them with the richest learning experiences possible.” Having spent her entire teaching career at Seaton, Ms. Thomas values its culturally diverse environment, and she contributes to that environment by carefully curating the array of student-produced art that adorns the walls of the school. She challenges her students with unique art projects, including an assignment in which students must use a random assortment of wood pieces to build a free-standing animal model. Ms. Thomas also exposes her classes to other cultures, asking students to make their own serapes to wear for Hispanic Heritage Month.

Within her own classroom, Ms. Thomas tries to provide an environment where all students feel valued, engaged, and eager to learn. “I have found that when I say something encouraging to my students, I can see their eyes widen with a little glitter of light and they try harder,” she shares. Mindful of her students’ diverse backgrounds, Ms. Thomas began her career by resolving that within her classroom, socio-economic status would not be a factor. “The teaching and learning that my students would receive in my classroom would be the same as they could expect to experience in the best schools anywhere,” she says.  “Watching them give voice to their thoughts and feelings through their art is a joy and a powerful gift – a gift which makes me love teaching all the more.”