Springton Lake MS Teacher Hits Home Run Before Retiring

teacher, Tony Tolomeo, was one of 10 Delaware Valley teachers to be honored as the 2011 Teacher All-Stars at the Phillies' Teacher Appreciation Night on May 6. This joint effort by the Phillies, Philadelphia Inquirer, and The Philadelphia Daily News asked students in the area to nominate their favorite teachers. The students had to pick teachers that did more than just hand out homework. An All-Star Teacher is someone who was a friend and an educator. These are the teachers who teach students classroom material and how to believe in themselves.

This year's competition yielded more than 2,500 letters commending teachers throughout the Delaware Valley. Tolomeo said he feels very honored to be a part of this group. He sees and appreciates the amazing dedication his co-teachers put into every class.

During the ceremony, the Teacher All-Stars were invited down onto the field at Citizen's Bank Park. Each teacher was presented with a frame containing the letter his or her students had written to nominate them. They also got a chance to let loose and dance with the Phanatic on the Phillies' dugout.

Tolomeo, who has taught at Springton Lake for 21 years and will retire in June, was completely surprised by the letter submitted by one of his current students. The letter describes Tolomeo's reputation for being a little strict. The student mentions extensive deadlines and assignments, as well as a being a tough grader. But the longer the student was in Tolomeo's class, the bigger picture began to appear. There may have been a lot of comments on the student's paper, but they were all helpful. The student soon became less apprehensive and embraced Tolomeo's teaching style. Despite being a tough teacher, Tolomeo knows how to get the point across. He found the letter "very flattering."

Tolomeo's key to keeping students interested in class is to "keep things moving." He finds students love to work in groups because it allows them to socialize, but still stay focused on their topic. Being a language arts teacher, he is able to bring a lot of creativity to the classroom. Tolomeo enjoys playing educations games with his classes. Springton Lake Middle School also provides some new classroom technology for their teachers. So Tolomeo regularly uses SMART Boards for his lessons. These modern versions of chalkboards allow teachers to write on and alter a projected screen image.

"A good teacher uses all the tools at his or her disposal to keep the kids engaged and keep things moving," explained Tolomeo.

Another way he keeps things moving is by addressing each period individually. He also makes sure the students aren't doing the same type of learning activity everyday. One of the highlights of Tolomeo's class is when he breaks out the guitar. When he teaches students about poetry, the students write a poem and then he entertains them by setting it to music right there in the classroom.

"They like to be entertained, look at our culture, we all like to be entertained," he said. There is a connection between teaching and performing that Tolomeo tries to incorporate into the classroom. "You're up there, and you're trying to engage kids. I'm often very dramatic or I'll pull put the guitar. You have to reach into the bag of tricks."

Even an All-Star teacher has a few challenges. Tolomeo notices that students today appear to have a lot more activities and distractions. This leads to students forgetting assignments or not coming to class prepared. Electronic devices are also a common distraction. Tolomeo feels that as a teacher, he just needs to gain the attention of the student and get them to use that energy in a more positive way.

When he sees a student struggling or not paying attention, Tolomeo tries to be proactive by getting parents involved in a constructive manner. Tolomeo will also hold student conferences or stay after class to help give students that extra push.

The award and all the extra fame it has brought does not seem to deter any retirement plans for this All-Star. Tolomeo will finish out the year and then hopes to find something rewarding, but part time as well as do some charity work. The biggest thing he will miss is the creativity and working with his all-star students.