Where are you coming from?
Mr. Todd Rooks taught ninth and tenth-grade social studies at ASL last year, so this is his very first year in the middle school. However, originally, Mr. Rooks is from Charlottesville, Virginia.
What subject do you teach/ what position do you hold?
Mr. Rooks teaches seventh-grade social studies on the black team.
What were/ have been your first impressions of ASL?
Mr. Rooks found ASL to be a welcoming community. It was also exciting for him to be teaching in an urban school. However, with teaching in an urban school comes extensive security measures, as he explains how foreign it was to him to swipe his card every time he entered the building. At the same time he found the community to be quite “intense,” with the “work hard, play hard mentality” of students and staff.
What is your favorite part of ASL?
Mr. Rooks loves “the desire to continue to grow [among the teachers] and to be better at educating students and getting students to engage in more thoughtful work and in the world outside of the classroom.”
What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
In his free time, Mr. Rooks enjoys playing basketball, gaming, skateboarding, running, coaching, and reading.
What is an interesting fact about you?
Mr. Rooks was the eighth-grade class president when he was a student.
