Milton's outstanding teachers
Scott Thompson, Milton High School

By NATHAN LAMB | Milton Independent Staff Writer
miltonreporter@yahoo.com

Middle school math teacher Scott Thompson, standing next to his reserved parking space. Thompson was recently named Milton High and Middle School teacher of the year by UVM.

Teaching algebra, geom-etry, and statistics at the middle school level isn’t always easy, but it’s still tops in Scott Thompson’s book.

Having taught those subjects for five years in the Milton School District, Thompson said the biggest hurdle is making math interesting and connecting it to the real world. While building that bridge can be a challenge, he said it’s worth it when the message gets across.

“There’s nothing like the feeling of when they get it,” he said. “You just know; you can see it on their face and in their body language…they’re proud of their accomplishments.”

That connection and care for students were major factors behind Thompson being honored as Milton High School’s outstanding teacher of the year, said Middle School Principal Laurie Hodgdon.

“He is the consummate professional and he comes at teaching with such an ethic of care, he’s just very student centered,” she said.

The annual award is granted through UVM to teachers nominated and chosen by schools across the state. Thompson will be honored alongside other recipients at a special dinner on Oct. 17, and will also receive a certificate and use of reserved parking space at the school.

Ironically, Thompson’s path could have easily taken another direction. He studied environmental science at Johnson State College from 1993-97, and wanted to work in the State Department’s water quality division after graduating. However, they weren’t hiring at that point and Thompson instead took a classroom position with a local school.

In retrospect, it was a major turning point, said Thompson.

“I took job as an instructional assistant and immediately fell in love with working with kids,” he said. “That’s when I decided to go back to school to get my education degree.”

“I took another job to pay the bills and fell in love with it,” he said at another point.

Canadian by birth (but working on dual citizenship), Thompson’s formative years were spent in New York state. Going into high school, his major interest was team sports of all varieties, but he quickly discovered aptitude for both math and science and geared most of his electives in that direction. He still enjoys the outdoors, though, and moonlights as an associate professor for JSC, teaching whitewater kayaking.

Overall, Thompson described the Milton schools as the best place he’s ever worked, saying there’s great support from both colleagues and the community. Thompson added there’s a long list of deserving candidates for the outstanding teacher award, and said he was both bowled over and pleasantly surprised to receive it.

Conversely, Hodgdon did not sound surprised. She described Thompson as someone who’s is modest about his contributions, but also well liked and respected with his peers.

“He’s one of those people who, after a really busy day, is the first to say ‘how are you doing?” she said. “He’s also the first to say you’re doing a good job,” she said.

While he was honored by the award from his peers, Thompson explained that working with kids is its own best reward.

“Kids are so creative and they amaze me in the classroom every day with what they can do,” he said. “They make my job exciting.”