Abigail Stewart, in her very first piece for the ROAR, has interviewed Mr. Thornton for this month's Spotlight Interview.
ABIGAIL: What classes and grades do you teach?
MR. THORNTON: I teach basically every class under the sun in the curriculum of social sciences with 7th grade, 8th grade, 11th grade, and 12th grade under the subjects of medieval history, U.S. history, AP U.S. history, regular government, and AP government.
ABIGAIL: Wow! That’s so much!
MR. THORNTON: It really is.
ABIGAIL: Which class is your favorite to teach, and which class is your least favorite to teach in terms of content?
MR. THORNTON: My favorite class to teach in terms of content is AP U.S. History because I focused my Masters in American Studies. My least favorite to teach, content wise, is Government because I feel like I lack some of the knowledge that would make me a stronger and better teacher of that particular course.
ABIGAIL: What has been your favorite part of the Lycée so far?
MR. THORNTON: It’s definitely the students – 100%, day one, coming in. I’ve worked at a lot of schools with all different demographics, ethnicities, races, socioeconomic statuses, and just people coming from all different cultures. But, here, it was just the students and the eagerness to not only learn, but to open up to wanting to get to know me. I’m a teacher that likes to build relationships. In order for students to even want to work in your class you have to acknowledge that they’re people and it seemed like you guys embraced me full– on the first day and I think that is why we are all at where we are at now. Especially in my AP Government class, where I feel like the relationships have forged very deeply and we just continue to grow and laugh and get to know each other. I love that!
ABIGAIL: Awww, that’s really sweet. What hobbies or activities do you like to do outside of school?
MR. THORNTON: My favorite thing to do is to read for pleasure. As an academic, all you’re doing is reading academic material; so, I love literature, specifically in the horror genre as Frankenstein is my favorite book. Right now, I am reading Dracula, which is 500 pages and is taking me forever to get through. But, I also love to hike, I love to be outdoors, and I love camping. I am also really crafty and I like to write as I am writing a novel right now. And spending time with my husband, of course.
ABIGAIL: Who is your favorite historical figure?
MR. THORNTON: Anne Boleyn. So, Anne Boleyn was the second wife of Henry VIII, and she always held true to her ideologies and her beliefs and took that to the grave with her and that, unfortunately, led to her losing her head over what she thought mattered in life. So, I think it’s a good lesson for today, especially in the political climate that we live in that you should always stay true to who you are.
ABIGAIL: That’s so real. If you could be reincarnated as any animal, what would you choose?
MR. THORNTON: Okay, I always say a cat because sometimes I randomly think of this because their life is so easy, but then I think, at least an outdoor cat so I could still go around and adventure. But then I’m like, wait, it would be fun to fly! So, maybe a bird? Caw-caw! Sometimes, like a cat or something that could fly. But, it would also be really fun to swim really deep in the ocean, so maybe a shark? Just a little bit of everything!
ABIGAIL: What is a fun fact about yourself that no one else would know?
MR. THORNTON: I got to meet my idol, Carrie Underwood, when my mom bought me backstage passes. I got to meet her in Vegas, backstage, and we shared somber moments together about how much her music changed my life!
ABIGAIL: That’s really sweet. Lastly, do you have any words of advice or anything you want to say to the students here?
MR. THORNTON: For students, your voice and your words are the most important thing that you have that is power. Students sometimes get bogged down on writing, reading, and speaking as they wonder: what’s the point of literacy? But without your words and your voice, you have absolutely nothing and you can’t speak true about your ideologies. So, you have to continue to use your voice to be heard.
Photo by Lucia Laski
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