Students rush through the halls moments before the tardy bell rings; meanwhile, prepared lecture slides light up whiteboards, ready for the day’s lesson.
As a new school year begins, Texas High welcomes new faculty and students. Thomas Longbotham, a part of the many new teachers at Texas High, teaches Dual Credit Economics and Government, which includes U.S. and Texas Government.
Longbotham has taught numerous subjects at the high school and college level before moving from Houston to Texarkana.
“I’ve taught world history, U.S. history, psychology, sociology, government, and economics to high school students at my alma mater of Cuero High School, home of the mean green Gobblers, from 2014 to 2023,” Longbotham said. “I started teaching government courses at Victoria College in 2012 and chose to become a paraprofessional at my former high school before getting my teacher certification when one of my childhood friends from Cuero passed away at the young age of 29.”
To ensure that he feels welcomed and prepared, Texas High assigned him a senior teacher to be his mentor; Lance Kyles has taught at Texas High for 22 years and currently teaches U.S. history and world civilizations.
“The mentor program here assigns a veteran teacher to every new teacher, so I walk him through day-by-day procedures,” Kyles said. “I just wait for him to have any questions, like how to do stuff, but so far he’s been pretty low maintenance.”
Gaining a new history teacher comes with lots of benefits for the school. Longbotham has numerous skills over his years of teaching that can benefit the students of Texas High.
“It’s always good to get new blood at the school and department. We hated to lose Mr. Evans, but Mr. Longbotham has lots of experience,” Kyles said. “He has a rare specialty where he can teach DC Economics and DC Government. We haven’t had a teacher at this school with those types of qualifications before.”
Most would ask why someone would move from Houston to Texarkana, but his new position has benefited him greatly.
“I chose Texarkana, some 400 miles northeast of my hometown and where I was living, Cuero, Texas, because of this exact teaching position and the opportunity to teach both college government and economics,” Longbotham said. “I’m excited but nervous about teaching Dual Credit economics for the first time rather than simply proctoring it.”
Being at a new school, in a new town, unaware of what to expect can be nerve-wracking. Yet Texas High holds many fun and spirit-filled events for both students and staff alike.
“It’s my first year at Texas High, so I’m most excited about being a Texas Tiger,” Longbotham said. “I haven’t been to any sports events yet, but I hope to [experience] some school spirit from those and the pep rallies.”
