Teacher Feature on Mr. Thornton
February 16, 2022
At which school in the district do you teach?
Stroudsburg High School.
What subject(s) do you teach?
Social Studies: Economics, US Issues, 20th/21st Globalization.
What grade(s) do you teach?
10, 11, 12.
How long have you been teaching at SASD?
This is my 35th year at SHS.
What is one important lesson you have learned as an educator?
That how much you care is much more important than how much you know. Students can’t and won’t learn from someone they don’t believe cares about them.
What is one piece of advice you would share with your students?
Understand that no matter what class you are in, you have two main priorities in that class:
1. To work on learning how to learn; 2. To practice and develop a better work ethic. School is your practice ground for developing those skills and they will do more to influence your success after you graduate than anything else you learn.
What is your favorite sports team and why are they your favorite?
The Pittsburgh Steelers. I love that they are a Pennsylvania team whose tradition of success has been built on hard-nosed toughness.
What is your favorite quote and what does it mean to you?
Thomas Edison: “It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.”
With that quote, Edison was telling us to be relentless.
How and when did you know that teaching was what you wanted to do?
I came home one day in 5th grade and told my mother I was going to be a social studies teacher. Although I considered other careers as I went through school, I always still saw myself as a teacher and carried through with that. I love the choice I made.
