The Middle School Master Teacher, science and upper math classes are taught by Tug Levy. He is an educator by birth! Tug’s parents both began their careers as educators and continue to teach today; his sister is also an educator. Tug went to the University of Montana right after high school but left into his second year to get married. He had a son in 1990—the year he moved to Boulder. He went to CU-Boulder for a year or so then took a “time out” to gain residency. Tug took more time out in the mid nineties and helped run a cool, high-end, bicycle design and marketing company based in Gunbarrel… In 1997, Tug heard his education destiny calling, so he went back to CU and completed his bachelor’s in Environmental, Organismic and Population Biology. Tug got a little side tracked and did some very interesting professional research projects for professors in the EPOB department. One project was studying birds in Boulder County and another was mitigating damage to endangered wildflower habitat in vernal pool ecosystems, west of Sacramento, CA.

In 2001, Tug was working as a seasonal Wildlife technician for the City of Boulder’s Open Space and Mountain Parks department. He was accepted to the Master’s Plus program at CU, which he completed in May 2003. He loved the theoretical learning, but the experiential part was best for him. He first walked into a BVSD school as a practicum student on 9/11/01! Tug knew that he was in my element--helping kids, staff and himself come to terms with what was happening. He begged them to start thinking of why this could have happened and what role/responsibility did our own foreign policies have in creating the situation. Tug knows that this was not a coincidence, and that he was meant to get started in that exact climate.

Tug had a blast student teaching 8 th grade Earth science at Platt Middle, and then was a long-term sub for an amazing teacher in the CHOICE alternative middle school program at Platt. This experience culminated with a spring trip. Another educator and he took 51 students 11-14 years old to Moab, UT for biking and camping. It was an experience of a life-time.

Tug has 4 years experience teaching in public school--two in St. Vrain valley, and two in Adams 50 in Westminster. Following in his father’s footsteps, he is very much drawn to working with “at risk” populations of students. Tug’s father created an alternative high school in Hailey, Idaho, in the early 1990’s. He is still the director as well as a full time science and math educator—overall, he is in his 41 st year as an educator! This year begins Tug’s 5 th year as a professional educator.

About his teaching philosophy, Tugs says “The core of my current educational philosophy is my belief that students need a school to really be a learning community, in which students, parents, teachers and administrators realize their individual as well as their collective stake in education of the youth of their community. In this school, I am trusted to be the compassionate, dynamic educator that I was born to be. I am encouraged to provide experiential learning opportunities, which I believe provide much needed meaning in the curriculum. I believe that Rocky Mountain is this school!

One of my life passions is to share my experiences with kids. Being an educator is so much fun! In following my bliss, I have nurtured the most wonderful relationships with students, parents, teachers and administrators. I love people unconditionally and immediately. I also have love and respect for myself. Students are drawn to my easy-going nature and my commitment to truth. They can see that I’m just an ordinary guy with an exceptional ability to care. I love showing students that the learning experience can, and absolutely should, be a blast. I have come to enjoy teaching “life” even more than “life science”! There are many life experiences, but especially being a parent, from which I’ve learned a great deal about the value of valuing your self. I go straight to the heart of that and work to nurture students’ self worth. “I encourage students to trust their own guidance, to think not only creatively but positively and to love themselves unconditionally. They should feel excited about themselves as they learn and demonstrate that learning. I hope they will learn to feel more appreciation than pride for their bright and beautiful minds. I hope they learn that it is even more their nature to be a good student or citizen than it is their responsibility.