Position: English Teacher / Department Head
School: Colonial Forge High School
School District: Stafford County Public Schools
City, State: Stafford , VA
Aaron Tlumack received nominations from two anonymous students. The following profile contains information from both nominations:
Mr. Tlumack is an interesting man. He seems intimidating and formidable, but he's actually very helpful, generous, and intelligent. He cares about his students and gives them every opportunity to better themselves.
Mr. Tlumack is strict, but he makes his class fun, and his students appreciate the challenges he throws their way. He also cares deeply about what his students are going through in their personal lives.
"After losing a classmate, he came down and sat with us making bracelets and made sure we were all doing okay," said one of his nominators. "During this difficult time, he did whatever we needed to feel better and understood what we were going through so he changed things around for us. He even let us eat lunch in his room one day and told jokes that made us feel better."
"Last year, I had a serious concussion that ended up lasting five and a half months. I was behind in all of my classes, including Mr. Tlumack's AP Language and Composition class," said his other nominator. "I was under an enormous amount of stress trying to figure out how to catch up in my classes. Mr. Tlumack worked with me in a way no one else did. He stayed after school to allow me to take tests. He gave me extended time frames to complete my papers. When we had notes, he would give me a printed copy so I wouldn't have to worry about taking them myself. It was what he did in class, however, that really made my life easier. Every day before class started, he would ask me how I was doing, trying to get a read on how class would go for me that day. Knowing that I had someone looking out for me during that really tough time took a lot of stress off of my shoulders, and it made me feel like everything was going to be okay. Even before my concussion, we always kept up a back and forth between the two of us. Any literary or rhetorical analysis done in class consisted of a discussion. My ideas were never considered stupid, and he was constantly pushing me to defend them. He made me a better writer, and during one of the hardest moments of my life, he made me a more positive and patient person."
Mr. Tlumack demonstrates his compassion for his students in other ways, such as making himself available to talk about essays. He cares about the beliefs of all students so that no one gets hurt during class discussions.
"He made me love going to class because it was enjoyable, and he made the learning atmosphere laid back and fun," said one of his nominators. "Mr.Tlumack has been my favorite teacher during high school and deserves to be recognized for his hard work and love for his job."