Tom Rice
Mr. Tom Rice taught at Graland from 1977 to 2015 and was a Graland parent when both his boys, Kevin ’99 and Ian ’03, attended Graland. The consummate storyteller, Mr. Rice doggedly encouraged his history students to explore, discuss and question the material they were studying. Now retired, he is occasionally back on campus as a substitute teacher and bus driver.
Mr. Tom Rice taught at Graland from 1977 to 2015 and was a Graland parent when both his boys, Kevin ’99 and Ian ’03, attended Graland. The consummate storyteller, Mr. Rice doggedly encouraged his history students to explore, discuss and question the material they were studying. Now retired, he is occasionally back on campus as a substitute teacher and bus driver.
As a student of Mr. Rice in both eighth and ninth grade, I remember studying maps of Russia, stories of Sasha - his Russian friend, and sobbing through the movie Gallipoli. He was a compassionate teacher who looked for the moments to support and encourage us to learn, to get it, to excel. Thank you, Mr. Rice!
What did you love about teaching at Graland?
Mr. Rice: I loved that I had a certain amount of independence to structure my own curriculum. Graland provided lots of opportunities to do this and to build upon what I had taught before. We were able to attend great conferences to learn about new ideas.
I loved working with kids and trying to get them more involved in history through experiential projects and activities. When I taught US History and Government, students reenacted the case of Gideon vs. Wainwright to learn more about the history and limitations of the Bill of Rights as well as the Supreme Court’s role in upholding and interpreting the laws. I know this stuck, because when Margaret Hoover ‘93 was back on campus this past fall to receive the Nancy Nye Priest Alumni Award, she referenced that experience!
In this way I was doing my part to carry on a Graland tradition of experiential learning. It was important to get kids physically and mentally involved in the history they were learning, and more fun that way too.
I appreciated that kids were always willing to try new things, and old things -- like me. My goal was to get them interested enough in something, a topic, concept, or idea, so that they would have the foundation to return to it later on. Hopefully my teaching sparked a greater interest or curiosity that students pursued further in college or beyond. My motto is “To inspire is to be,” and I believe I did my best work as a teacher when I inspired students to go further and delve deeper into whatever caught their interest.
What was one of your favorite lessons to teach?
Mr. Rice: When I taught US history I always started the year by asking the question, “What do you think of when you hear the word America?” This was how we began our exploration of the founding of our country. Students made posters and presented their ideas to the rest of the class. At the end of the year I asked the question again and I will never forget the “ah ha!” moment when Nat Ridder ’00 responded in a clear voice from the back of the room, “Mr. Rice, I get it! America is an idea! It is the idea of democracy, the idea of immigrants from so many places building this country.” That was a memorable moment!
Graland Country Day School
Graland Country Day School is a private school in Denver, Colorado, serving students in preschool, kindergarten, elementary, and middle school. Founded in Denver in 1927, Graland incorporates a rich, experiential learning approach in a traditional classroom setting, emphasizing the development of globally and socially conscious leaders who excel academically.
