Tommie Lindsey Biography - Inspired By Caring Teacher, Drew Diverse Students To Debate, Remained Dedicated
school forensics public
1951—
Teacher, forensics coach
Considered one of the country's top forensics coaches, Tommie Lindsey has taught countless public high school students to achieve success as public speakers and to use these skills to help build satisfying college and professional careers. While debate teams have traditionally attracted students from elite schools, Lindsey has made his inner-city public school team—with a diverse student membership and limited budget—a force to reckon with. As of 2004, his students had won six consecutive National Forensics League School of Excellence awards and four California High School Speech Association championships. In 2004 Lindsey received a prestigious MacArthur fellowship in recognition of creativity in his field.
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One of nine children of an ironworker and a homemaker, Lindsey grew up in Oakland, California, and was raised by his grandmother after his parents died. From her he learned about the importance of family bonds, a value which he considers central to his decision to enter the teaching profession. Indeed, he was particularly inspired by the generosity of his sixth grade teacher who, noticing his torn…
Lindsey has taught in the California public school system since 1975, when he took a job at the Alameda County Court Schools, setting up speech contests for students who had been incarcerated for serious crimes.
"These kids were murderers," he said in Bay Area Parent, "and I was only about nine years older than them." Seeing the tragic waste of potential among his st…
Such dedication, Lindsey has noted, can be exhausting. He often works from about 8 o'clock in the morning to 10:30 or later at night. With a limited budget for his
program, he must take on secretarial tasks on top of his already heavy load of teaching, coaching, and school bureaucratic work. Dealing with his students' personal issues also consumes significant time, as does fundrai…
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