Giving Tuesday at Great Hearts Roosevelt

Blueprints of a New Destiny: An Architect’s Journey to Teaching 

At Roosevelt, we seek teachers who are passionate about educating this next generation. That is what Great Hearts Roosevelt found when they found Mr. Tucker, a 4^th grade lead teacher. He just didn’t know it yet. Mr. Tucker is a founding faculty member of Roosevelt who says “It’s amazing. I just stand and look at these beautiful souls staring back at me with a hunger to learn and I have the privilege to teach them.” However, teaching was “never on my radar.”

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 Mr. Tucker found his calling later in life after a career of very exciting jobs and job opportunities. He first began his career as an architect in South Africa. After moving to the US, he became an art broker in Las Vegas for a well know gallery based in New York. After a very stressful, high-pressure job, he joined a small art gallery. This led to a chance encounter with Rick Harrison from the World Famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, the setting of the popular reality TV show Pawn Stars. After making a strong impression on Harrison, Mr. Tucker was offered a job as the show’s resident art broker. And even though he preferred working behind the scenes, he occasionally stepped in as a replacement for the on-air experts.

Soon after, Mr. Tucker traveled the US via RV, visiting 22 states. Although Mr. Tucker was great at what he did, he chose to retire. Just when he thought he’d retire he got introduced to Great Hearts. Instead of retiring he thought he’d try work, where he can make a difference. He applied at Great Hearts for a Teacher’s Assistant job where he was mentored and taught a tremendous amount in one year, that by the end of the year he was “comfortable with teaching and classroom management.”

Mr. Tucker took a lead teaching position in his second year at Great Hearts Roosevelt. This is when he found what he was called to do. “I just couldn’t believe how amazing it was and that it took me this long, 30 years of thinking I had the right career, enjoying what I was doing, and doing it well, to discover that teaching was my true calling. I ended the year with an incredible class, having made a difference in so many of their lives, and I loved every minute of it.”

We are so grateful that Mr. Tucker found his true calling and purpose! Here at Roosevelt teaching and inspiring his students to not only to learn but to seek truth, goodness and beauty in all they do, because you never know where the seeking might take you!

Do you have a story or know of a story that you would like to see featured at Great Hearts? Please contact jason.moore@greathearts.org.