Mr. Tucker Finds His True Calling as a Teacher

Richard Tucker is a fourth-grade lead teacher at Great Hearts Roosevelt, where he has been a respected educator since the school opened in 2022. Tucker, who typically arrives at the school as one of the first staff members, shares that he can’t wait to get to his classroom each day. “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,” he said. However, teaching was neither his first nor second career path. “At 59 years old, a lot has happened,” Tucker shared.

Tucker’s story began in South Africa, where he worked as an architect. When the opportunity arose to move to America, he jumped on it, despite the challenges. With no money and unable to work as an architect in the U.S. due to the prohibitive costs of transferring his degree and board certification, Tucker took the first job he could find in the food service industry.

Before long, Tucker transitioned into art sales and became an art broker in Las Vegas for the AFA Gallery, based in New York. “It was a lot of pressure,” he recalled. “You’ve got clients in Japan and Australia, and they’re awake when you’re supposed to be asleep.” Although the job was lucrative, the demands were high, especially as he was raising his children on his own. “I needed the money, so I was okay with the hours and the stress.” The stakes in the art world were high, and Tucker knew that missing a phone call could cost him a sale worth as much as $120,000.

Looking for a change of pace, Tucker joined a small, local family-run gallery in Las Vegas. This move 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, Tucker was offered a job as the show’s resident art broker. While he preferred working behind the scenes, he occasionally stepped in as a replacement for the on-air experts.

This career seemed to suit him well until the pandemic hit. After being furloughed, Tucker decided to travel the country in an RV with his then-wife, who was an online teacher. “We enjoyed the RV life, and every time she was supposed to be teaching, we would just pull over at a truck stop or on the side of the road. I would take the dogs for a walk, and she would teach in the back of the RV,” he said, adding, “We traveled through 22 states during that time.” When they returned, Tucker realized that his quality of life had suffered during his years of art dealing, and he chose to retire rather than return to work.

After a few detours, his wife was offered a teaching job in Buckeye, Arizona, at a new school that was opening, Great Hearts Roosevelt. Tucker soon found that retired life wasn’t feasible for him. “The economy started to make it a little difficult for me to be retired,” he said. “It was a bit young for me to do so anyway, but I was just at that stage of life where I questioned, ‘Why am I killing myself for the almighty dollar when I’m not doing any good for anybody?’”

His wife mentioned that the school was looking for teaching assistants, so he decided to give it a try. He was hired and worked under a seasoned elementary teacher who mentored him throughout the year. “She taught me a lot, and by the end of the year, I was actually considering taking on a lead position,” Tucker said. After going through a divorce and needing more financial stability, he felt ready to step into the role of a lead teacher. “I was comfortable with teaching and classroom management,” he noted.

What Tucker didn’t anticipate was how profoundly that first year as a lead teacher would impact him. “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 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. I had no idea this was my calling—no idea. It wasn’t ever on my radar.”

Mr. Tucker’s path from architect and art broker to fourth-grade teacher at Great Hearts Roosevelt shows just how unpredictable life can be. He found his purpose in the most unexpected of places. And each day, he brings a wealth of experience and passion to his classroom, where he continues to inspire and be inspired by his students. His life serves as a powerful reminder that it’s never too late to discover one’s true calling and make a meaningful impact on the lives of others.

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.