Kevin Thompson, Assistant Head of Upper Elementary School, Embodies TIGER PRIDE

BY ANDREW NIBLOCK, Director of Schoolwide Initiatives

Dr. Kevin Thompson is an inspiration. He radiates curiosity, enthusiasm, and care. It’s infectious, and he invites students, teachers, and families every day to join him in the adventure that is the GCDS Upper Elementary.

In the fall of 2022, he made the move from beloved homeroom teacher to the post of Assistant Head of the division. His smile now greets students as they bounce through the front door each morning. His experience and training make him a valuable counsel for faculty. His earned wisdom and engaging demeanor are deeply appreciated by the families who value his friendship.

His story is unique and remarkable, and he brings his life lessons, his hopes for the children in his care, and a ready sense of humor to every conversation. I was able to ask him a few questions recently, and some of his amazing story is below.

When did you fall in love with teaching?

I fell in love with teaching in ninth grade after my first summer as a teaching assistant with the Horizons Student Enrichment Program—a program that had literally changed my life. Having graduated from the eighth-grade program the previous summer, I was one of the few graduates invited back to work in the second grade with an amazing teacher and incredible students. I was hooked! From that moment on, I knew I was destined to be an elementary educator.

Why do you teach?

I teach because it was what I was meant to do. I have a passion for educating young people and making a difference in the lives of others. It’s the best profession to be able to contribute to the benefit of society. It’s the ultimate service.

What drew you to school leadership?

First, I can have an impact on many students’ lives rather than just the students in my homeroom, and can influence the over all culture and climate of a school. I feel a sense of purpose regarding the importance of education and wanting to contribute to the success and well-being of students. And finally, in my role as an administrator, I have a platform to foster partnerships and relationships with a variety of people. Building relationships is imperative to the work of cultivating community.

Penn has included a Thank-You-Note as an essay option for their application. As a leader and a teacher who would you write to? Who inspired/inspires you?

A couple of months ago I was tasked to reach out to someone I admire and I chose to write to Barack Obama. Here are some excerpts from my letter.

“There isn’t a person on the planet (aside from my wife, Julia, a celebrity herself, but she already knows me) who I admire more than you. We are both doctors—this might be the only time in my life that I can say I’m part of the 1%, although it’s getting close to 2% of the American population. But we are some highly educated Black men!

I think our coolest similarity is that we are both superheroes. You are a superhero to me and millions of people all over the world and I am a superhero to all of the kids in my care on a daily basis in my role as an educator. Or at least I try to be. I try to be a beacon of hope to others, just like you’ve always encouraged me to be. Maybe not directly, but in your books, in your speeches, and in your actions. You’ve inspired me to be the best version of myself, and I’ve tried to instill these values in my own children, my students, and anyone who will listen or follow my lead in being SPECTACULAR (that’s my favorite word, btw).”

What is something we all should learn, or unlearn, about UES students?

I think that everyone should learn that UES students are capable of tackling complex problems and having difficult conversations. This year has presented some challenges that some adults and students have never had to face, and our students have pushed themselves to problem-solve and persevered through it all. There isn’t a thing that an UES student can’t do with the support and guidance of nurturing and caring adults who want nothing more than to see their children succeed in developing what’s finest in themselves.

What is important for kids that you believe should be part of every day in the UES?

Joy! Inside Out is one of my favorite movies, and I want each student in the UES to experience some form of joy everyday. I do everything I can to ensure that a large majority of them do. And if it’s not me, then there are a number of remarkable adults in our building who are trying to do the same.

You talk a lot about TIGER PRIDE in the UES. What does it mean to you and how do you incorporate it into the fabric of the division?

TIGER PRIDE is one of the main reasons I was drawn to GCDS back in 2018. I remember doing some research on the school before my interview for a fourth-grade teaching position and these values are what stood out to me because of my strong belief in character development in young people. TIGER PRIDE is more than just a collection of words. Over the past six years, I’ve truly grown to believe in this, and it’s something that I try to instill in each student that comes into the UES. Whether it be through the Social Emotional Learning lessons that I deliver to fourth and fifth graders, or how we celebrate one of the TIGER PRIDE values each month, my goal is to make sure that every student knows how important these values are to me and our school, and I feel very honored that the students and faculty have embraced this and followed my lead.

You recently received your Doctorate in Education. What did you study and why?

Yes! I earned my doctorate in May of 2022 with a concentration specifically on curriculum and instruction. I chose to focus my dissertation work on social and emotional learning and tailoring my research towards making recommendations on how to improve those practices at GCDS Nursery through Grade 12. Part of the reason I went on to pursue a doctorate was due to how strongly I believe in best practices for teaching and learning, but also because I really believe in TIGER PRIDE. I took those values and aligned them with the five competencies from the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). Those competencies focus on five interrelated skills that are both interpersonal and intrapersonal in nature. They are: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationships skills, and responsible decision-making. Using relevant research and in collaboration with some of my colleagues in the UES, we are in the process of making TIGER PRIDE a tangible thing that we can actually teach, similar to how we would teach reading, writing, or math. There’s still a lot of work to do, but we’ve made great strides this year and it fills me with joy to be able to put my own research into practice.

What don’t people know about you that is important?

I don’t know if people know that I had a really hard upbringing and a tough childhood. That is an important part of my story and my identity that I am not shy about sharing. I have experienced so much in my four decades on this earth and have had to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles to get to where I am. But I did it, and I’m here, and I’m extremely proud of my accomplishments.

#gcdsues