About me...
My name is Tom Neal and I I am happy to be part of such a great team here at Niles North High School. This year I am thrilled to teach German 1, German 2 , and French 1 this year. I come from a family that greatly values education. My mother is a retired kindergarten teacher and has taught every grade from K-8th.
I began my study of languages in the 6th grade, when I started to teach myself Russian. At the time, I was interested in chess and wanted to be able to read books about chess in Russian (as many of the best chess players in the world hail from this part of the globe). After discovering the joy and challenges of the learning Russian, I spent several summers at “Lesnoe Ozero,” a Russian language summer camp facilitated by the Concordia Language Villages in Minnesota. After 8th grade, I applied to and attended the “World Language and International Studies Academy” at Streamwood High School, where I started my endeavors with the German language. During this time, I completed student exchanges to Germany and Japan. I enjoyed the home-stay components of these programs and particularly liked spending time at high schools abroad, where I was able to compare and contrast educational experiences across nations. My love of languages was fostered by many gifted and caring teachers throughout my years in high school. I took the AATG national German exam and earned a scholarship which lead to a summer spent at “Waldsee,” the German language summer camp facilitated by the Concordia Language Villages in Minnesota. After being a participant in the “Waldsee” program, I was spent many summers during college working there as a camp counselor and credit language teacher, which helped hone my skills as an enthusiastic, creative educator.
I am a graduate of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where I studied German Education as my undergraduate degree and subsequently earned a masters degree in Educational Leadership. One of the highlights of my academic career was the year that I spent studying in Vienna, Austria. I had the opportunity to take courses at three Austrian universities as well as gain experience teaching English as a second language to Austrian school children. Aside from my rigorous university studies, I also enjoyed performing in an acapella group at UIUC for several years.
It is a privilege to teach languages to students in an American secondary school. Having grown up in a monolingual household, I feel as though I am a model of what can be achieved through dedication of language study in a public school. I am a lifelong learner who embraces the challenges and joy of my work. I firmly believe that the study of languages can enrich my students, opening doors to travel, scholarship, and a myriad of new perspectives.