Written by Shannon Olds

Ever since he worked with preschoolers at the age of 19, Larry Thurman knew teaching was something he wanted to do. But as he got more in depth, he found obstacles and challenges blocking his path.

“The obstacles were figuring out how to get into college and stay motivated," said Mr. Thurman, the biggest challenge was getting all the education to become a teacher.” But as hard as it may have seemed, Thurman finally got his degree in history and began teaching.

His first high school was Madison where he worked for seven years. Once he found out Lincoln was reopening, he quickly applied for the job. Luckily, he was hired and left Madison High behind. He came to Lincoln where he felt the kids would 'benefit most' from his teaching. When he arrived, he fell in love with the kids he taught. He felt as though he “connected with the students fairly well.” He made a heavy impact on his students as well as the teachers around him.

“Mr. Thurman always has something insightful to share,” said English teacher, Ms. Gray.

His teaching style is hilarious and full of animation. He uses different voices and gestures as part of his lesson. But teaching is only part of his life. 

Like any other person, Thurman has dreams of retiring, relaxing and as he puts it, "still looking good." He has hobbies like playing golf, eating, and fishing. He loves football games and is a Chargers fan. When he isn’t doing any of those things, you can find him doing the thing he loves most and that’s being a father to his four-year-old daughter, Larriece. “My lifelong goal is to be a good father and teach until I retire.”

Thurman is a great teacher and a loving father who loves “seeing how much influence you can have on youngsters. That made me want to help mold them into better community members.”

“He’s a great teacher and cares for the kids deeply,” said Mr. Blas, sophomore class advisor and science teacher in the Center for Social Justice.