COMMODORE MEDIA GROUP

CMG: Who am I here with today?

T: Thomas Tillman.

CMG: What do you do at Lafayette?

T: I am one of the assistant principals here at Lafayette High School.

CMG: Did you imagine you’d be a principal when you were younger?

T: I had no idea that I would become a principal, no idea. I did have one of my fourth grade teachers that actually inspired me as a small child, her name was Mrs. Odene Daniels, and one day she actually saw me- I think I was having one of those days, just a down day- and she actually approached me and put her hand underneath my chin and said to me, “You can be anything that you want to be in life,” and from there, because she was a teacher, she inspired me, from there I think that’s where I got the interest of going into education. 

CMG: How is this school different from your other school?

T: You know, it’s actually a blessing with being here at the highschool. I have served at the upper elementary with Grace, 3 through 6 for many many years. Actually, all of my years have been in elementary education. So this is my first year in secondary. But the blessing is I get the great opportunity to work with boys and girls who came through the upper elementary school who are now at the high school, and so they are all familiar faces, they’re just bigger bodies (laughter).

CMG: What’s your favorite part about this job?

T: I love interacting with boys and girls. I love trying to make a difference in the lives of young people, and I also like working with my peers here in the building. Of course I’m getting to know the faculty and staff here at the high school, and everyone has been so nice and so accommodating. It’s just really nice to be able to, sort of dive into the curriculum, and looking at data and making data-driven decisions and doing what’s best for the boys and girls. 

CMG: What would students be surprised to find out about you?

T: Well, I think some of them know that I am a pastor, I pastor a church in a small town, Bruce, Mississippi. Others would probably be surprised that I do sing as well as preach. 

CMG: How did you feel about high school when you were a student?

T: I actually enjoyed my high school years. I will say that my high school years were probably some of the best years of my academic grade school years. I really really enjoyed high school. I actually do miss some of my high school classmates, we have not had a class reunion in several years.

CMG: How long have you been in this profession?

T: This is going on my 19th year here at Lafayette, so I’ve been here for a long long time, and this is my 24th year in education.

CMG: Alright, thank you!

T: Of course.