Upstate Parent's 2023 Educators Who Make A Difference: Larissa Toomey
Middle School Math, Five Oaks Academy
Want More? CLICK HERE To Return to Educators Who Make a Difference Main Page
Larissa Toomey isn’t new to teaching, but she is finding new and exciting ways to meet students where they are. In the process, she is finding community with her colleagues and the families they serve.
Toomey is the middle school math teacher at Five Oaks Academy in Simpsonville, where she is completing her second year. She moved from Atlanta to Greenville with her husband and two children in the summer of 2021.
“Both my parents were teachers and I knew in elementary school that I wanted to be a math teacher,” she said. “I have taught for a total of 26 years – in high school classrooms for 11 years and in middle school classrooms for 6, including this year. I stayed home with my own children when they were young but continued to tutor and volunteer in their classrooms throughout that time.”
Toomey is finding new adventures at Five Oaks, connecting with students in the small school environment in ways that she said helps them grow as people. She credits her colleagues with providing support and guidance along with their shared commitment to supporting each other and their students. That environment facilitates projects that extend learning opportunities.
“I like to garden and work on projects that involve building or creating things with my hands,” she said. “One of my favorite parts of my job at FOA is that I can share my interests and knowledge with the kids. We have a garden on campus and regular opportunities exist for them to build or fix things. We have a day where everybody gets to choose a type of project that they spend the entire day working on. For some kids that is sewing or cooking or painting. For the kids who want to, they can choose a woodworking project – everything from carving an animal out of a block of wood to teaching kids how to use power tools. Last year, I worked with a girl on building a decorative shelf for her room. She had never used a power saw at all.”
By the end of the day, the student was confident in her ability to use tools and create a tangible project.
“She felt empowered, and she learned something totally different,” Toomey said. “It's a confidence building activity, just showing her how to feel strong and confident and capable, and build something from scratch.”
They deserve our continued support and encouragement. Join us in celebrating these – and all – educators who make a difference in their schools and in our community.
Click on the links below to learn more about each of our 10 Educators Who Make a Difference
Jeannée Abercrombie Johnson: McCracken Middle School Assistant Principal
Jeremy Brown: East North Street Academy, Kindergarten
Anne Louise Greer: Spartanburg Day School, Honors, AP and Forensic Chemistry
Shannon Moore Hill: Lake Forest Elementary School, K4
Ashley Mangum: Chandler Creek Elementary, First Grade
Ebony Nye: The Sterling School, Second Grade
Staci Purvis: Berea Elementary and Gateway Elementary, Visual Arts
Jessica Styles: Skyland Elementary, Second Grade
Chris White: Spartanburg High School, English and Speech & Debate
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Upstate Parent's 2023 Educators Who Make A Difference: Larissa Toomey
