# data[].attributes.headline
My name is Blake Thomas.  I graduated from Western Branch High in 2006.  I started college right after high school and spent a few years trying to figure out what interested me and what I wanted to do with my life.  I then transitioned into auto-mechanics and became a line technician at First Team Toyota.  I came back to ODU to finish my English degree and to teach high school students.  One of the reasons I am who I am today is because of something an English teacher of mine told the class; "If and when you go to a party, take the time to observe your peers around you and just reflect.".  Oddly enough that has reverberated in my mind for years.  The practice of taking a step back and trying to figure out the bigger picture, to think critically of what's going on around me.  With social media being such an incredibly heavy influence on the next generation, it's hard to escape the never ending waves of ads and attention grabbing catch-phrases and buss words.  

# data[].attributes.subject
My name is Blake Thomas.  I graduated from Western Branch High in 2006.  I started college right after high school and spent a few years trying to figure out what interested me and what I wanted to do with my life.  I then transitioned into auto-mechanics and became a line technician at First Team Toyota.  I came back to ODU to finish my English degree and to teach high school students.  One of the reasons I am who I am today is because of something an English teacher of mine told the class; "If and when you go to a party, take the time to observe your peers around you and just reflect.".  Oddly enough that has reverberated in my mind for years.  The practice of taking a step back and trying to figure out the bigger picture, to think critically of what's going on around me.  With social media being such an incredibly heavy influence on the next generation, it's hard to escape the never ending waves of ads and attention grabbing catch-phrases and buss words.  

# data[].attributes.headline
I remember being a young kid when Myspace first started and what would then unfold in later years as 'social media'. Suffice it to say, social media has played a huge part in divisiveness as well as national news recently.  I always felt if I were to take on a teaching career I could be influencial in getting students to overcome their fears of writing papers and analyzing literary material.  I grew up in the early clutches of the self-esteem movement which transitioned into no child left behind.  Sometimes parents obsess too much over their kids and they are left with little room to breathe and discover themselves as young individuals.  Students and young adults should be encouraged to learn the essentials as well as understand the world around them.  I want to help students the way my English teacher did for me so many years ago into challenging my own opinions and develop a voice of my own.  I want to help students not be afraid to question their environment and themselves and to develop the utmost respect for their peers.  I'd love to be a Robin Williams type in the movie Dead Poets Society.

# data[].attributes.subject
I remember being a young kid when Myspace first started and what would then unfold in later years as 'social media'. Suffice it to say, social media has played a huge part in divisiveness as well as national news recently.  I always felt if I were to take on a teaching career I could be influencial in getting students to overcome their fears of writing papers and analyzing literary material.  I grew up in the early clutches of the self-esteem movement which transitioned into no child left behind.  Sometimes parents obsess too much over their kids and they are left with little room to breathe and discover themselves as young individuals.  Students and young adults should be encouraged to learn the essentials as well as understand the world around them.  I want to help students the way my English teacher did for me so many years ago into challenging my own opinions and develop a voice of my own.  I want to help students not be afraid to question their environment and themselves and to develop the utmost respect for their peers.  I'd love to be a Robin Williams type in the movie Dead Poets Society.

# data[].attributes.headline
The purpose of school is to incorporate fundamentals for students to both succeed academically and to branch out into the world to find their own gratification within and for the community.  The most important things the students will learn is that there is just as much to learn through failure as well as practice and accomplishment.  They will learn how to analyze and critique information abstractly and critically.  I will provide projects and assignments that allow them to explore and challenge their own beliefs and understanding of the world.  My students will value their own self worth as well as the value of their peers; to gain understanding and empathy for each other as well as the ability to work together to solve problems.  I will interact with them in a way that makes them feel encouraged, comortable to express their thoughts and feelings, .  They will interact with each other in a way that is both constructive and intellectually progressive.  

# data[].attributes.subject
The purpose of school is to incorporate fundamentals for students to both succeed academically and to branch out into the world to find their own gratification within and for the community.  The most important things the students will learn is that there is just as much to learn through failure as well as practice and accomplishment.  They will learn how to analyze and critique information abstractly and critically.  I will provide projects and assignments that allow them to explore and challenge their own beliefs and understanding of the world.  My students will value their own self worth as well as the value of their peers; to gain understanding and empathy for each other as well as the ability to work together to solve problems.  I will interact with them in a way that makes them feel encouraged, comortable to express their thoughts and feelings, .  They will interact with each other in a way that is both constructive and intellectually progressive.  

# data[].attributes.headline
What I've learned over the years is that words have hidden meanings, or double meanings;  catch phrases and buzz words used to stifle conversation into a particular direction.  I am also a weathered veteran in making poor life decisions and taking education for granted.  What I can teach my classmates is real life experience.  I can help my fellow classmates understand the difference between the way the world should be and the way the world actually is.  And hopefully, help each other figure out a plan to meander between that to help each other and our students succeed where we failed or could have done better.  I can help my students become more open minded to all opinions and outlooks on life, and hopefully become more empathetic and reasonable as they find their place in the world.

# data[].attributes.subject
What I've learned over the years is that words have hidden meanings, or double meanings;  catch phrases and buzz words used to stifle conversation into a particular direction.  I am also a weathered veteran in making poor life decisions and taking education for granted.  What I can teach my classmates is real life experience.  I can help my fellow classmates understand the difference between the way the world should be and the way the world actually is.  And hopefully, help each other figure out a plan to meander between that to help each other and our students succeed where we failed or could have done better.  I can help my students become more open minded to all opinions and outlooks on life, and hopefully become more empathetic and reasonable as they find their place in the world.

# data[].attributes.headline
And a word from the late Christopher Hitchens himself....

# data[].attributes.subject
And a word from the late Christopher Hitchens himself....

# data[].attributes.headline
I need to better understand how to communicate the pros and cons of this brave new world we're diving head first into to the students.  I need to learn how to keep the student's attention on what is important and what they can carry with them through life and keep a low level of attention on distractions and things that will only pose as speed bumps in their development.  I will make a great effort into finding out what it is that they love or don't love about school and education and level with them in a way that makes me more accessable as a teacher and friend as opposed to an old man that's seen as a generation behind the times.  I want them to feel as if I have met their expectations while encouraging them to strive to overcome their own and their community's as well.

# data[].attributes.subject
I need to better understand how to communicate the pros and cons of this brave new world we're diving head first into to the students.  I need to learn how to keep the student's attention on what is important and what they can carry with them through life and keep a low level of attention on distractions and things that will only pose as speed bumps in their development.  I will make a great effort into finding out what it is that they love or don't love about school and education and level with them in a way that makes me more accessable as a teacher and friend as opposed to an old man that's seen as a generation behind the times.  I want them to feel as if I have met their expectations while encouraging them to strive to overcome their own and their community's as well.