22 years ago, Mr. Takoa Lawson made the defining decision of his career— to abandon his small-town roots in Oregon for New York City. Now, Mr. Lawson is known for his conversational teaching style and rigorous course load in classes from Regents Chemistry to AP Physics C. He attributes much of his current philosophy to his unlikely journey in becoming a teacher at North High.
Born in Southern Oregon, Lawson spent the first eight years of his life in a rural farming community. Just outside the border of Northern California, the mountainous region is known for campsites and hiking trails. “We didn’t have electricity, we hand-pumped water from the well, and used a cast-iron stove for warm cooking,” he described. His early education consisted of workbooks and semi-formal lessons offered by locals in the community. “There was a family where the husband was a physicist with an engineering degree from the University of Oregon, and he would give science lessons and engineering projects.” Lawson’s early encounters with the physicist influenced his decision to attend the University of Oregon later in life.
“I definitely have scary memories of running as fast as I can from my house to the outhouse at night, then running to get back inside the house, because we’re out in the middle of nowhere,” Lawson said. Among memories of harvesting and canning produce, he recalled the difficulties of bathing outside in the cold, and the dangers of leaning too close to the cast-iron stove.
Despite the challenges, Lawson greatly enjoyed freedom and companionship as a child. “There was a lot of climbing trees, playing, going out, and getting to be creative,” he said. Lawson believes that both the benefits and drawbacks of his childhood independence taught him the creative problem solving skills he still deeply values. Meanwhile, the close-knit community taught him the collaboration and connection he sought in his future career.
Lawson’s first dramatic shift in lifestyle occurred at age 9, when he left rural Oregon to live in Hawaii. He began attending public school in a suburban neighborhood. “When we first moved into a house with electricity, it was a mind-boggling experience,” he recalled. “I remember being sad when I lost some of those communal relationships, but I enjoy a lot of the benefits of making a smoothie when I want to, being able to make toast, having hot water come out of a faucet.”
Two years later, Lawson moved back to Oregon— this time, to the small city of Eugene. Although far from the rugged mountainous terrain of his childhood, Eugene is a nature-oriented college town with a population of about 170,000. Lawson completed his secondary and undergraduate education in Eugene, earning his diploma in General Science at the University of Oregon. Although Lawson enjoyed tutoring and participating in study groups during his academic years, his heart was not quite set on pursuing education. While at the University of Oregon, he participated in paid work-study programs and assisted the science department with computer technology.
“I kept getting told by the people at the university, ‘Oh, you should really think about going into education,’” he recalled. “I kept being like, ‘Oh, whatever, I don’t know what I’m going to do, but I don’t think education is right for me.’”
His attitude towards education changed after briefly working in sales. “I didn’t enjoy the commodity exchange of it,” Lawson said. “I missed what I had in my academic experience.” Realizing that he most valued working with others and engaging in problem-solving, he decided to give education a chance. He looked into teaching programs back at the University of Oregon, but was instead advised by a professor to seek opportunities elsewhere. “His exact words were, ‘This is a small town— you can always come back and your roots will always be here. But if you want to see if you can be successful, go to Texas or New York. If you’re successful there, you can move anywhere you want in the world.’”
At first, Lawson faced the prospect of moving away from his hometown with apprehension. According to him, this is a path that few take. “I talked to some friends I grew up with, and they kind of nudged me because they were like, ‘You’re not going anywhere.’ I was kind of like ‘You think I can’t do it?’ I think they were just saying that it’s a small town and we’re multiple generations of people growing up here.”
Lawson’s ambitions prevailed amidst doubt from his peers. He soon enrolled in NYC Teaching Fellows, a program that allows participants to complete their education degree while teaching full-time. After working as an adjunct professor at the City College of New York for a few years, he was hired by North High in 2006.
At North, Mr. Lawson has taught all levels of chemistry and physics courses, in addition to Science Research and Living Environment. He carries into his classrooms the love of problem-solving and community he has nurtured all his life. “I love working on hard problems, and seeing the transition of somebody struggling with something, working on it, getting better at it, and then being successful,” Mr. Lawson said.
In particular, Mr. Lawson pushes students to tackle challenges, whether by introducing novel problems or giving pop quizzes that push students out of their comfort zones. “I think more than anything, a life skill is problem solving ability. Not the ability to solve a specific physics problem, but the ability to walk into an unexpected situation and navigate it the best you can,” Mr. Lawson said. “Overall, my number one goal is to make people more confident in their own ability to manage anything that comes at them.” Even so, he works to create a safe environment for making mistakes and building relationships— he often shares personal anecdotes with the class and stays hours after school for extra help. “I try to allow the humanity of not being perfect, and I try to make sure students feel supported,” Mr. Lawson said. He typically establishes close connections with his AP Physics C students, with whom he completes unique projects from building ping-pong-ball launchers to filming music videos.
Lawson still stays in touch with his family and friends in Oregon. He calls his old friends and travels with his roommate annually, returning to Eugene to celebrate important events such as marriages and baby showers. He acknowledges the growing disconnect between him and his hometown nonetheless— the streets and people that were once familiar have merely faded into his memory.
“Once, I went to the grocery store while visiting my mom and saw someone who looked familiar,” Mr. Lawson recounted. “After leaving, I was asking my friend— ‘Did you see [her]?’ He was like, ‘Yeah, you dated her in high school. You didn’t know that was her?’”
Despite the inevitable shifts in relationships after moving across the country from his small-town upbringing, Mr. Lawson is very grateful for his current lifestyle. “I love teaching. I’m very blessed— working in a place like Great Neck is an advantage for a teacher not many teachers get to enjoy,” Mr. Lawson said. “I am often blown away by the talent of the people around me, both staff and students.”
Although three thousand miles away from the state that raised him, Lawson imparts upon his students the same passion for community and problem-solving that nurtured him. Whether scribbling physics equations on the board or chatting with students in the hallway, Mr. Lawson continues to dedicate himself to helping students learn and grow.
