Salute to Our Great Hearts Veterans: Conal Tanner

Conal Tanner served 3 years in the Canadian Army as a Second Lieutenant in the infantry.  “I was trying to get trained for one of Canada‘s last combat tours in Afghanistan but got injured and spent my time helping run the training courses for the other officers who were going to Afghanistan.”

The army was paid for Tanner to get his second degree. “That’s how I got my teaching degree and license.”  Mr. Tanner now teaches 10th grade Humane Letters and 8th grade Literature & Composition at Chandler Preparatory Academy.  This is Mr. Tanner’s 5th year of teaching at Great Hearts.

“Conal’s daily commitment to his students impresses.  It also shows in the number of students who have had academic breakthroughs under his guidance,” said Headmaster John Paul Poppleton.  “During his time at Chandler Prep, he has become a pivotal member of our faculty, especially regarding his commitment to individual students across grade levels, as well as around his creative innovation in instruction.  He continually shares best practices with his colleagues.  It is an honor to work shoulder to shoulder with him as we share the revolutionary and life changing nature of classical, liberal education.”

Tanner credits his military service to making him a better teacher.  “Going through what I had to go through, and seeing the things I had to see taught me to have a lot of empathy with everyone.  Also, it helped me to love the heat of Arizona since I’m not marching in the woods in -30° weather on a sleep deprivation assault exercise.”

“My time in the army taught me teamwork, self-control guided by prudence, resilience in difficult times, and to be patient with a lot of things because they are not anywhere near as grueling as the training I had to go through.  I also had to do some teaching when I was serving my country, so that taught me to get to the point because time is precious and important things are on the line.”

Please join Great Hearts in honoring Veterans like Conal Tanner and many others who have served their country.

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