This year, many new teachers joined the Heritage family. One of them was Mr. Tony Wolfe, who came to us from Saddle Ridge. Mr. Wolfe taught at Saddle Ridge from the school’s opening in until 2024, while also coaching football there for a few years. Before teaching at Saddle Ridge, Mr. Wolfe had his first teaching job at La Fayette Middle School, which he started in 2006.
At the beginning of his teaching career, Mr. Wolfe struggled to find his teaching style. Finding out how to manage his classroom was one of his biggest struggles as a teacher. His new job here at Heritage reminds him of his beginnings in teaching. Mr. Wolfe said that the switch from middle school to high school was evident through the increase in maturity levels. He explained, “I’m able to have more complex conversations, and I’ve noticed that whenever I ask my high school students to do something, the majority of them listen.”
Outside of school, he enjoys spending time with his family, barbecuing, watching college football, and wresting, and volunteering at his church. Before starting his career in teaching, he graduated from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. At the University of West Alabama, he received his masters in library media. At Lincoln Memorial University he worked to receive an education specialist degree.
Mr. Wolfe is very committed to building healthy relationships with his students; he even said that it’s his favorite thing about teaching. Mr. Wolfe aspires to help the students he taught to gain an appreciation for history once they have left his classroom. He wanted his students to know that, “they have options in the future, for colleges and careers.” He aimed to help his students see that, by looking at the past, we can predict what will happen in the future.
Mr. Wolfe wanted to make history interesting, even for students that didn’t usually enjoy learning history. He hoped to be a teacher who students appreciate when they come to class everyday. Mr. Wolfe’s classroom philosophy was “regardless of a student’s abilities, all students are capable of learning, but everybody learns at their own pace.” In his classroom, he said he appreciated how kind his new students had been. “The students have been extremely welcoming, and I really appreciate that,” Mr. Wolfe said. He is looking forward to pep rallies, football games, and of course, what he’ll be able to accomplish in the classroom this year.
Being a new member of the faculty here at Heritage has kept him on his toes; Mr. Wolfe explained that the Heritage campus is a lot bigger than he is used to. Many times that the staff and students had been very welcoming. He said, “My fellow social studies teachers have been awesome. They’ve welcomed me and have been extremely helpful.” Since he was the only social studies teacher for the sixth grade, he welcomed the help from his neighboring social studies teachers. Mr. Wolfe explained, “All of the faculty are heavily committed to making the school better.” He questioned whether he could make changes to improve Heritage, but he has come to the conclusion that “it’s hard to change something I’ve heard so many good things about.”
When Mr. Wolfe sees past students he finds it heartwarming and feels as if he was able to contribute to their success, even if it was only a small impact. Overall, Mr. Wolfe said he was excited and hopeful towards his new experience teaching here at Heritage this year and for the years to follow.
