AUGUSTA, Maine — For more than forty years, he was Mr. Wells; an English teacher in the Augusta School System. Now Tom Wells has put what he learned into a book. "Dear Mr. Wells" is a mix of lessons and letters from his students. When he retired, Wells was handed a binder with more than 100 handwritten "Thank You" notes from those he had touched through his years of teaching.
Those letters told him stories he never knew - stories of inspiration, laughter, and serious changes in student lives. "It's basically kids thanking me for what I did for them as human beings and the role I played in their lives, in some cases, I literally saved their lives - I didn't know it." So he wrote a book, hoping to show other educators that they, too, are making a difference; to show parents how large a part teachers have in the lives of their children; and to thank his own students for teaching him.
"I really wanted to share with educators that they, despite school shootings and coronavirus and all of the distractions educators have right now, to look in front of them - don't look anywhere else - and work their magic," says Wells.
Wearing a "Teachers Rock" t-shirt for our Zoom interview, Wells jokes about how he doesn't have to buy his own beer if he walks into a bar and a former student recognizes him, "I feel like a rock star," he laughs. Ultimately, he says he formed a lot of deep bonds with each one of his students, and he hopes they, too, look back on their time with him fondly.
As technology seeps more and more into the classroom, Wells offers up advice for other educators on getting students to put their cellphones away; watch the interview for more.
Tom Wells also gives talks to other educators; if you'd like to learn more about contacting him, click here.