With the school year coming to an end, so is our time with some of the teachers who will be retiring. This year I had the privilege of interviewing Mr. Alan Thomas. Mr. Thomas has worked here at Warren Township High School for over 20 years. 

Mr. Thomas attended College of Lake County for 2 years, where he earned his Associates Degree. From there, he went on to transfer to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree and his teaching license. Mr. Thomas’ passion for education was clearly present, as he went on to attend North Park University in Chicago where he earned a master degree in education. In his time in University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee he was a special education major and at North Park University, he majored in special education vocational training.

After graduating, he went on to put his degrees to good use. Prior to working at Warren, he worked for 10 years at Waukegan High School and 1 year at Zion Benton. He has worked many years in the education field, in his time here working as a Special Education Teacher, a Special Education Vocational Coordinator,  and as the Technology Campus Coordinator. Mr. Thomas also worked with ELS students during summer school and worked with them on job training skills. He says, “Those students really work hard, and are lots of fun to work with. I love to see the progress that they make every summer.” When asked what he would miss about teaching, Mr. Thomas mentioned these students. He also will miss his co-workers, who have become close friends of his. Mr. Thomas’ passion for the career shows as he discusses it, saying that his time as a teacher has taught him patience.

Mr.Thomas also talked about his role as the technology campus coordinator. He cites it as one of his meaningful experiences at Warren as he was,“ Working with 300+ students every year, dealing with a wide range of issues on a daily basis and seeing the outstanding success of many of these students.”

It is very apparent how much Mr. Thomas cares about all the many students he has worked with over the years, and how much he has touched their lives. Even after retirement he plans to keep giving back. He wants to keep working at some sort of part-time job, though he isn’t sure what that will be yet. Additionally he will continue helping out some senior relatives to “try and make their lives better”. This generosity seems to be common theme throughout Mr. Thomas’ career, and one trait we can be very grateful to have had in our community. 

To impart some last wisdom, Mr. Thomas urges students to “be on time, work hard, study smart, and treat others with respect—success will follow.”