Educator of the Week – Tatum
Milan High School Collision Repair teacher Andy Tatum says his job is to draw students into their work. “My inspiration comes from my students,” said Tatum. “If there’s something out there that we want to work on, then we bring it in and they are engaged, and they will stay engaged as long as it’s something they can do.” He’s seen first-hand what they can achieve. In his two and a half years of teaching, they’ve competed in state competition – placing every time. “The first year that I went, I was here for four months,” said Tatum. “We won 2nd place in “Paint and Refinish.” The next year, we went back we won 1st place. Last year, we won 2nd place in “Paint and Refinish.” So my students are getting it.” This educator says seeing his students understand and succeed is the best part of his job. “When I see the students get the information,” said Tatum. “When the light comes on inside and they are uncontrollably just happy that they got it and they can move on. I know that nobody can take that information away from them.” Tatum says the feeling is even better if they can enjoy themselves in the process. “They’re having fun getting the information,” said Tatum. “When it’s fun, it’s not a job anymore.”
