Recently, many students have been devastated to hear that math teacher Tom Schumann will not be back at Campolindo for the remainder of the school year due to health complications. Schumann is not only known to be a great math teacher, but always creates a fun environment that students are already missing.
Schumann is much more than a math teacher. For many students, he is a role model. Junior Gavin Gunn shared his feelings about this news. Gunn shared, “I think he was one of the few teachers on campus that really got to reach to students and kind of interact with us differently than a lot of other teachers do.” Gunn also shared, “He has been someone we could confide with, make jokes with, and I think he’s just a really good human being.” Gunn looked back and recognized how Schumann is one-of-a-kind and misses him dearly.
While math can be a difficult subject, many of Schumann’s students love his teaching style. Senior Matthew Crenshaw stated, “Schumann’s always had a great way of teaching math. He always makes sure that students understand what they’re doing before we actually start on our worksheets or homework, and he even goes over the problems with us. He always has an answer key up there so we can go and check our work and make sure that we’re doing things correctly.” Like many teachers, Schumann just wants to see his students succeed, but while doing that, he is able to connect one-on-one with each student and create unbreakable bonds.
As seniors, the thought of never seeing a teacher again is very upsetting. Senior Kate Griffith has had many great moments with Schumann and shares, “Mr. Schumann is the best math teacher I’ve ever had. The students who are in his classes are going to miss him and it’s definitely really sad, as a senior, to never see him again.”
While seniors are taking the news of his prolonged absence hard, Gunn still has the opportunity to see Schumann next school year, but he feels that he should return to school when he is ready. Gunn stated, “Yeah, I love Shu. He’s a great guy, and I know that a lot of people look forward to having his classes, and I’m most worried about his health. I would rather him get as healthy as possible before he returns back to school.”
Students are yearning to see Schumann back in class, but they understand and empathize with him and his absence. Ever since Schumann’s absence began, students have had time to look back and appreciate everything he has done for them. Students are moving into a new chapter with a different math teacher and are keeping an open mind. Many students are excited to get to know their new math teacher as well. But for now, what students want most is for Schumann to feel better. “Get better soon, Mr. Schumann,” Gunn stated. “We love you. We hope you do better. You’re a great teacher, keep it up,“ Crenshaw shared. “We all hope for the best for him and his recovery. Get well soon, Mr Schumann,” Griffith expressed. The Campolindo community love and miss Schumann and want to see him get better as soon as possible.
“Schumann has a bond with the students that a lot of teachers don’t typically have because he doesn’t just see students as grades, he sees them truly as people.”
-Griffith
