After growing up on the northwest side of Chicago, Tom Lisack traveled northwest and enrolled at St. Mary's University in Winona, MN. He majored in journalism and worked at two newspapers during his college years. Tom was a reporter for the Winona Daily News and that kept him busy on weekends and some week nights. Mostly, Tom covered high school sports and traveled to many small towns in Southeastern Minnesota and Southwestern Wisconsin. He enjoyed journalism, found that he was driven by writing deadlines, and continued in the field of journalism. Tom landed a job at the Chicago Tribune in 1980 and has told many that it was the most exciting professional experience he has ever had. He was on the night shift: 6:00 p.m. - 2:30 a.m. Tom didn't mind a bit. All the trains from his home to Tribune Tower were comfortably empty. Travelers were always headed in the opposite direction after a traditional 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. job. He was at the Tribune for two years and covered the assassination attempts on President Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II. Working double shifts and watching a story take shape was very exciting to Tom. Unfortunately, those experiences were usually the result of a tragic story. The death of John Lennon was also an interesting night and captured the attention of virtually everyone in the newsroom for social if not political reasons. Perhaps the most memorable night was the inauguration of President Ronald Reagan. All the reporters were excited about the release of our American hostages held by an Iranian group for 444 days. Tom and the reporters all patted themselves on the back after getting all the news out. At 4:00 a.m., exhausted, the group went to the Billy Goat tavern (made famous by Saturday Night Live -- "cheeeessburger, cheeeessburger, cheeeessburger.....") and had "lunch." It was a great night. After his experience at the Tribune Tom traveled to the teeming metropolis of Bullhead City, Arizona. There, as sports editor and news reporter, he found himself extremely busy with this bi-weekly newspaper. Tom had a police radio in his small apartment and was responsible for covering accidents, fires, and other events that "go bump" in the night. He enjoyed the experience but began looking for a decidedly different and much more structured career. As Tom told friends, he never knew when the job was over..........there was little distinction between personal and professional life. When Tom left Arizona on a 125-degree day deep into the month of August, he found himself reflecting on what he had done to that point and what he wished to do in the future. It was in 1982 when Tom began preparing to be a teacher. Tom returned to the Midwest: Winona, MN. He did two things: he joined a religious order, the Christian Brothers, and began coursework in secondary education at Winona State University. His first teaching experience occurred at St. Mary's (College) University. It really was a "baptism of fire." Tom taught a journalism course and was extremely nervous in doing so. He was 22 years old and some of his students were just one or two years younger the him. The course was a tremendous challenge; and, as he's said to others, while it was difficult, it prepared him a great deal for the the secondary classroom. Tom began to understand what the profession was all about. He began to find his "voice", if you will. Tom began teaching at the secondary level at Pacelli High School in August 1984. He enjoyed teaching American Literature, speech and drama, and writing. He was advisor for the newspaper and yearbook and was able to put his journalism skills to work. After 8 years at Pacelli and 2 years at Cretin-Derham Hall in St. Paul, MN, Tom decided to leave religious life. He was hired at Stevens Point Area Senior High. Tom applied his particular passion to his teaching: service learning. Since 1993, Tom has taken students to homeless shelters in St. Paul, MN, and Milwaukee. Students also help out with Habitat for Humanity, Operation Bootstrap, and Make a Difference Day, to name a few volunteer efforts. Tom has found service learning to have a profound impact on young people over the past 12-15 years of teaching. Today, as Tom nears 20 years of teaching, he has several goals: to incorporate multiple intelligence theories in his classroom, to further the use of technology in his classroom, to implement a more sophisticated portfolio as a means of assessment, and to respond more directly to state educational standards. Tom has found that the work we have done so far in the CELT program has been very valuable and looks forward to our continued work next semester.
|
