In the past several years, Central has gained an influx of new teachers, one of whom is Dylan Edmondson.
Mr. Edmondson began teaching AP Government and Politics and Tennessee History at Central during the 2022 fall semester. He has been teaching for nine years and is not yet sure about his favorite class to teach.
“If you asked me before this year, I would have told you AP World History. It’s so exciting to help students learn about other times and cultures so far from their own and see connections across time and space,” he said. “Now that I’m teaching AP Gov, though, I’m starting to grow more interested in U.S political dynamics. Ask me again in five years and who knows what I’ll have to say!”
While he began teaching in 2014, Mr. Edmondson hasn’t been teaching high school the whole time. Before working at Central, Mr. Edmondson was a graduate teaching assistant at the University of Tennessee, where he “supervised teaching interns in Knox County and taught undergraduate education classes.” Before that, however, Mr. Edmondson was an intern at Bearden High School and had his first teaching position at South Doyle High School.
While he is still in school at UT, Mr. Edmondson has been enjoying teaching here so far. When asked why he chose Central, Mr. Edmondson says, “When I came in for an interview over the summer, I could immediately tell the people at Central had pride in their school and wanted the best for the students here.” He added, “I love the people here. Everybody is so warm and helpful. There’s so much pride in Central, and I hope I can add to that legacy [in] some way.”
While teaching at Central, Mr. Edmondson has also been working on his doctorate in Social Studies Education at the University of Tennessee. He is currently writing his dissertation on Rural Teacher Identity and Global Citizenship Education, although he has already earned his bachelor’s degree in History and his master’s degree in Teacher Education.
When not in school to teach or to learn, Mr. Edmondson has lots of hobbies. “[I] like to cook, read, and play guitar,” he said. More specifically, his favorite type of food to cook is East Asian food, saying, “I love the balance of flavors that culinary tradition brings to its dishes.”
Mr. Edmondson is also a reader. He requires 15 minutes of “Sustained Silent Reading” at the beginning of class every day. He is currently reading and enjoying Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie, which he describes as a “historical fiction novel that recounts the Partition of India and the effects of independence on the region and its peoples.”
Mr. Edmondson’s students so far at Central have felt positive about their experience with him as a teacher.
“I thought that… he was understanding about how much work he gave us and tried to give us time to catch up on things we missed,” said sophomore Natalie Norman, who took Mr. Edmondson’s AP Gov class last semester.
“He is very passionate about the subject and really wants us to learn,” said senior West Horack, who is currently in Mr. Edmondson’s Tennessee History class. “He’s a very affable teacher and is easy to talk to.”
While Mr. Edmondson may be new to Central, the school has been lucky to have him, and students and teachers alike will be excited to see where he goes from here.
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