Saturday, February 8, 1997
Name: Leonard Wilson
Age: 48
Position: Social Studies teacher
Education: University of Hawaii-Manoa
Pastimes: Time with family, surfing
"It's an attempt to do things differently," said Wilson. "I try not to get boxed into curriculum."
Not everyone is comfortable with his teaching style, he said but "the parents have been very supportive," which he attributes to the large percentage of military families at Radford. "They are used to changes," he said. "Something multidisciplined like 'Space Art' captures their attention."
"Leonard is a man who dreams in color," said Principal Robert Stevens. "He does things that others only talk about."
Wilson is a champion for the Learning Center, which focuses on cross-cultural subjects. Programs include Latin, Ilocano, History of the Pacific, Space and Cosmology and Latin American Dance. "We don't advertise," said Wilson. "We let the kids sell the classes themselves." And sell them they do. Up to 200 students show up for after-hours education.
On campus, Wilson is known as a sympathetic ear for teen-age problems. "I guess I'm a nonthreatening listener," he said. "If you're always open to whatever mood they're in, they learn to trust you. I've never said no to a kid who wants to talk."