Tiffany Thomas

I’m Tiffany Thomas and I was born and raised in Shreveport, La. My love for math and teaching began in my childhood. As I recall, my strong love for math dates as far back as I can remember from elementary school. I believe it was my favorite subject because I caught onto it so easily. I used to teach my younger brother everything I’ve learned, which enabled him to always be at the top of his class. Then,  there was high school and the beginning of my struggle. I was in Algebra 1 and I realized, this isn’t coming along as easily as it used to. I could not understand the concept of this X and how we made it a number. At that point, I didn’t know what to do. I became highly frustrated, but I didn’t want to give up. At that time, there was no google, YouTube videos, or not much of any technology. There were only encyclopedias, dictionaries, and we had each other. So, I reached out to my best friend because I saw that she understood. So, I had her sit down with me and teach me. Whatever she said to me, eventually, it clicked. Once I learned, I immediately felt like I could concur anything. Once again, Math was my favorite. I would always spread what I knew to my other peers, and when they tackled obstacles, it was always a rewarding feeling for me as well.  

After high school, I continued my education at Grambling State University. I received my Bachelors of Science in Manufacturing Engineering Technology. I never pursued my Engineering career. The passion was no longer there. So, I moved to Dallas for greater opportunities for myself and my family. From here, I decided to go into education. I have this love for math and this love to spread knowledge to others. This would be perfect for me. As a new teacher, the schools that were more likely to recruit were the schools in the Southern sector, or the less fortunate. Being placed here, I have found my purpose. I am among young impressionable minds that don’t have the best educational background and/or the best family background. My students live their lives where only the strong survive. Thinking back on my background, I help my students see that there is comfort in knowing what you know. What happens when you don’t know? If you have the desire to know or to do anything in life, all you have to do is pursue it, and it’s yours. There is no greater accomplishment than achieving something you thought you never could.