"I became an educator because I have seen and experienced the tremendous impact that good teachers have on their students and community," says George Thompson, principal of Bell County High School in Pineville. "Since my parents were teachers in one-room Southeastern Kentucky schools, I grew up knowing that teaching is more than a job, it is a mission," he adds. "The original Kentucky Tech Prep meeting changed my role as high school principal from that of a manager to that of an educational leader," says Mr. Thompson, who has been an advocate for school reform in the Kentucky Public School system. At Bell County High School, Mr. Thompson has instituted a number of goal-oriented programs that prepare students for academic and professional futures. Mr. Thompson would like to someday have the opportunity to pursue more innovative ways for restructuring education. His "dream project" would pair teams of teachers with students grouped according to career clusters. Relying on a "schools within a school" model, the program will offer "youth apprenticeship and other authentic learning experiences." Ideally, such apprenticeships and experiences could become, according to Mr. Thompson, an "integral part of the high school program."
1988 Union College, B.A.
