TCSTribune.com

Mrs. Tucker always wanted to sail the seas as a biologist but there was one problem, “I really wanted to be a marine biologist for a long time but I get really sick on a boat.”
Mrs. Tucker came from everybody’s favorite town, “I am from this area – Turlock, My mom taught science at TC for 11 years and now I teach here. I don’t know if that’s interesting.” And let’s not forget everybody’s favorite school, “I graduated from Turlock Christian High School. Then I went to college at CSU Stanislaus where I received a degree in Biological Science. After that I went through the Credential program at Stanislaus.”

Mrs. Tucker comes from an extensive background of caring for children, something that probably comes in handy, “I really enjoyed working with kids. I worked with children at my church and I really enjoyed it. When I first started teaching I taught elementary school, which I really enjoyed, but I love science and had the opportunity to teach high school biology and really enjoy that now.”

Although this is only Mrs. Tuckers 2ed year teaching at TCHS she has already become apart of our family, “The students I have, and the relationships I have with them are what makes me want to come to work everyday.”

For somebody who likes to go places all the time, it’s a good thing Mrs. Tucker always returns to our small town, “I love to travel – I have been a lot of fun places. I love Disneyland – any student who has had me for a teacher I think knows that. I am also a big SF Giants fan.”

Lucky for us Mrs. Tucker decided not to get on the boat.

Mr. Erickson is a man of snow and ice from the frozen north of Wisconsin. But even the heat of California won’t keep him away from Turlock Christian. There are many reasons Erickson came to Turlock.

“I wanted to experience a different part of the United States.  I thought Turlock seemed like a nice town with nice people.  The administration of the school was very welcoming and friendly. The weather out here was pretty nice, too. Turlock Christian seemed like a good environment for me to teach in.  I knew I was free to share my faith while also teaching academic subjects,” said Mr. Erickson.

Mr. Erickson teaches JH Algebra I, JH Math II, JH Boys’ PE, Science 7, and HS Algebra I. Mr. Erickson has come to enjoy his work at Turlock Christian, “Working at Turlock Christian has been great.  The staff, administration, and faculty have been very easy to get along with, and the students are a lot of fun to work with overall.  I have enjoyed the variety of classes that I have been able to teach, whether it is math, science or P.E.”

Mr. Erickson has a deep appreciation for the students and has noticed some great things going on between the students, “I have noticed that many of our students care about each other.  They will back each other up in a discussion or will even pray for each other during class. They also enjoy having a good time and will talk to just about anyone.”

Mr. Erickson made a big change coming out to California, and he has noticed many differences compared to his home state, “California is much larger than Wisconsin.  It is very diverse; there are mountains and an ocean and everything in-between.  Turlock has a milder climate than Wisconsin.  In Wisconsin you notice the change of four seasons; here it seems to go from hot to rainy and foggy. There are more natural lakes and rivers in Wisconsin.  They both have dairies and agriculture, but California has more land and bigger operations.  Different crops are grown here compared to Wisconsin, such as almonds and grapes.”

Mr. Erickson remains a very relaxed and laid back man and enjoys a very entertaining lifestyle, “I attend Bible studies during the week, play piano in my roommate’s worship team on Sunday mornings, read books, watch sports live or on TV, go running, and hang out with friends.”

But of all these things, there is something that Mr. Erickson really misses about Wisconsin, and that is the snow, “I love the snow,” he said.

Bonnie Burnam had big dreams, but they didn’t involve students, lesson plans, and Promethean boards. “Honestly, my dream was to become a chef,” says Mrs. Burnam, “but when I met my husband in college, I knew that I would be serving the Lord in a Spanish-speaking country. I threw out my dream and majored in Spanish.” After that she and her husband Mike Burnam have served on the mission field in Mexico for the past 20 years.

Today Mrs. Burnam teaches Bible 7, JH girls PE, JH Spanish, HS Spanish I, here at TC. Her past experience as a missionary brings a fresh perspective to the classroom environment. “I have worked with people from every continent, lots of denominational backgrounds, and traveled to many different countries. This broad experience gives me something different to offer, than if I had grown up in the Central Valley, gone to school here and settled down here as an adult.”

So just what was life like in the mission field? “Every mission field is different; our missionary experience has always been in cities – mostly in Cuernavaca, Mexico, which is a weekend resort town for Mexico City. It is a beautiful city with year round sunny and warm weather. There have been difficult times with the stress of living in another culture, at times struggling financially and being a part of an international team, but generally, it has been a great experience – as we see people come to know the Lord and take steps to deepen their commitment to Him. We are planning to return to Mexico in the fall of 2011, when Rachel is settled in college.”

Although this is Mrs. Burnams first year teaching for TC, she did In fact substitute teach 20 years ago for a Spanish teacher who was out on maternity leave for a few months. Mrs. Burnam believes TC is a great place to work, “I enjoy working in a Christian environment and having a great group of administrators supporting me as a teacher. It is a special thing to be a part of a Christian school.”

Mike Williams, TC’s newest history teacher, confesses that God can be found in the strangest places. After all Mr. Williams met God in a 1990 Silver Dodge Dakota. “It was May of my junior year in high school, and I was having a rough time at school; I had just got dumped by my girlfriend, and was struggling in basketball. I was sitting in my dad’s 1990 Silver Dodge Dakota at the school parking lot and I knew that I wasn’t in control. I could feel God tugging at my heart. It was right then and there that I gave my heart to the Lord.”

When Mr. Williams came to Turlock Christian it would be his third year teaching, but his first year teaching at a Christian School. Mr. Williams did not expect to become a teacher until his freshmen year in college. Mr. Williams wanted to become an engineer for Cisco. But he didn’t expect for God to alter his course and take him to our small school.

Mr. Williams grew up in Escalon and went to high school in Manteca. He spent his first few years of college at MJC and went on to CSU, Stanislaus to receive his BA and his teaching credentials. Mr. Williams went on to teach one year at Pitman High School, and another year at McNair High School in Stockton. Mr. Williams had this to say about teaching at private schools, “There is so much more freedom when I am teaching my students, here I can teach them more than just academics, here I can teach them life skills and help them grow in their faith.”

Mr. Williams teaches 7th and 8th grade history, Government/Economics, and high school Coed PE. He also coaches the JV boys’ basketball team for TC. Mr. Williams has really bonded with all of his students, along with his JV team during his first few months at TC.

What Mr. Williams enjoys the most is development of the kids and their growing in their Christian faiths, “It is really a blessing to just have even one kid grow spiritually, it’s just a feeling that I can’t really explain, to see my students succeed. It is really neat to see a student who has been having trouble with assignments to click and understand the material, and then become one of the top students in the class.”

When Lynne Thompson arrived at Turlock Christian this year she didn’t expect very much. All she wanted was to enroll her son at TC, and substitute teach a few classes to help with tuition. Little did she know God had bigger plans.

“The high school was in need of a journalism teacher, so I was offered that position. I was very excited with the privilege of educating students about professional journalism. I’m also delighted with the opportunity to share with my students the life lessons and skills that God has imparted to me over 15 years in the writing field,” said Thompson.

Thompson says her writing career began when she was a mere child. “I’ve been writing since I was seven years old. I was editor of my high school newspaper, ‘The Eagle’s Eye’, and started college as a Journalism major before changing to Liberal Studies. Right after my daughter, Cassie, was born I began writing for the religious magazine market. I wrote for some really cool magazines such as Leadership, Homelife, Discipleship Journal, and many of the Focus on the Family magazines. Then, a few years ago, God took me in another direction. I began broadcasting ‘Soccer Mom Moments’ with Focus on the Family radio, and then published “The Official Soccer Mom Devotional” with Regal Publishing. I still write web articles for Focus on the Family, and my blog at SoccerMomBook.com.  So I guess I’ve never truly ‘left’ journalism.”

Thompson received her BA in Liberal Studies from CSU Stanislaus, which she says turned out to be a better career choice for someone entering the magazine market. “I was required to take courses from every discipline, which prepared me for various writing assignments. I’ve written on everything from angry children to stem cell research.”

When asked if Mrs. Thompson was enjoying TC so far she replied, “I love it. My students are so sweet and excited to learn. I’m thrilled about taking the TCS Tribune online. Besides compelling articles, we will be able to offer multimedia experiences with video, blogs, contests, and online polls.”

Thompson envisions TCSTribune.com going viral. “Personally, I think our website will be the most visited site in Turlock. I’m sure our students will find all the best in TC news only a click away. Besides, who knows? God’s plans could be bigger yet.”