Recently I read an article that Tobin Davidson had to defend himself from political attacks that pertained to an election that occurred several years ago. Let me describe the person of Tobin Davidson.
I was privileged to teach and coach with him over a 13-year career in the Hamilton County school system at Soddy Daisy and at Sale Creek School. I saw a dedicated teacher and coach that treated each student with respect and dignity. He was also fair in dealing with behavioral issues no matter what the last name was.
I sat on the bench with him for 11 of my 13 years in one coaching capacity or another and a student never went hungry, without shoes to play the sport they were in, or miss a summer camp due to financial hardships.
Coach Davidson has spent a lifetime in the trenches with the students and the schools he worked in battling for what was best for the student, while politicians seek political points for re-election. Most people do not understand the battles the teachers and principals fight each day while politicians devise another program to improve education, only to change it as the political winds change.
I would challenge those who think that he does not have the students and schools as the center of each decision, why not take a week and sit in a real classroom with real students and spend time with him for a week at Sale Creek. It may be an eye opener that could help to better shape your opinion of how he operates as a principal and educator.
Doug Varner
Former Hamilton County Teacher/Coach