KSEE - Educator of the Week » Educator Stories

Educator of the Week: Dwayne Tubbs

By KSEE News
December 26, 2011 Updated Dec 23, 2011 at 6:42 PM PDT

Every Monday on KSEE24, we honor a teacher in our community who's making a difference. We visit Hanford High School for a unique math class. David Marcus has our KSEE24 "Educator of the Week."

"Well, good morning, Mister K."

Dwayne Tubbs does the impossible at Hanford High School. He makes learning math, fun!

"That's my sister!"
"Really?"
"No, I'm lying. I'm lying about that, but I'm not lying about the rest of it."

"Anything I can do to make it more interesting or fun or just make them not realize how tedious some of it is that they have to do."

Mister Tubbs is full of jokes but he knows his limits. Keeping the class fun is important, but it's a delicate balancing act.

"I'm not a ventriloquist. I don't do the rap thing. I just have a good time. Life is too short to be taken seriously, so enjoy it and hopefully they do that in class."

"dDo you think the first time she tried this, she was able to do it that well?"
"No!"
"But did she quit?"
"No!"
"This is what's happened with a bunch of my students!"

But along with the math and the jokes, also comes a good dose of philosophy and life lessons. And many important messages, for his kids.

"You can do it. You can do anything you want if you put your mind to it. So get your work done and get everything done and get good grades and go right to college."

"Math is not the most important thing we do. The most important thing we do is learn. Doesn't matter if it's the math I teach or how to live their life or be a more positive person or feel good about themselves. That's the most important thing we do, is just learning."

So do students love Mr. Tubbs? Well, *you* do the math!

"Woooooo!"

And Mr. Tubbs also graduated from Hanford High School, where he teaches. He also leads a discussion group after school, dealing with current events and culture.

And if you'd like to nominate someone to be our educator of the week, it's easy! Just go to our website, KSEE24.com. Then, click on community, then submission. Tell us why your choice should be educator of the week!

Every week, the winning teacher and her classroom will receive a $124 gift certificate from GW School Supply. They'll also get their names engraved on a brick on the 'Teacher and Friends of Education Honor Wall', at Fresno State's Kremen School of Education.

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