Athens Reporter

During the planning stages of a new middle school, Austin Poole, a science teacher, was approached to lead the baseball program at Legacy Knoll Middle School (LKMS). He quickly reached out to his friend Isaac Thomas for assistance. "They're asking me to be the head middle school baseball coach. Are you going to come help me coach?" Poole recalls asking Thomas.

Poole believed in Thomas's ability to contribute significantly to building the new program. Their friendship dates back to 2016 when they met through a local church and shared an interest in ultimate frisbee. Encouraged by Poole, Thomas attended the University of North Georgia and joined its ultimate frisbee team.

Thomas agreed to assist with coaching and soon realized his potential as an educator. While completing his college degree, he joined LKMS as a long-term substitute teacher and passed the GACE exam over spring break. This led him to secure a full-time teaching position starting in the 2024-25 school year.

Currently, both are sixth-grade teachers at LKMS—Poole teaches science while Thomas handles mathematics. They emphasize their role as male influences teaching core subjects at this educational level. "I think, especially with our student-athletes we coach, our expectation for them is higher in the classroom than it is on the field," said Thomas.

Their journey began when Poole encouraged Thomas towards education during their time playing ultimate frisbee together post-college. "I don’t think a week went by when I didn’t hear him say ‘You should come teach at the middle school,’" Thomas said.

Both educators strive against stereotypes that male teachers enter education primarily for coaching roles. "It helps having male teachers at the middle school level, building relationships with kids," Poole stated.

In addition to teaching and coaching baseball, they serve as cross-country coaches at LKMS; Thomas also assists with softball while Poole sponsors clubs within the school community. Dr. Miriam Ledford-Lyle praised them: “They are building our legacy of promoting academic excellence, athletic excellence and being amazing models for students."

Looking ahead professionally, both are pursuing Master's degrees with aspirations for further specialization within Jackson County School System's fast-growing environment. Poole envisions himself in administration roles like assistant principalship; meanwhile, Thomas considers becoming an athletic director appealing over his projected 30-year career span.

Despite spending ample time together professionally or socially — even joking about late-night gaming sessions — video games take second place during busy school terms focused on impacting students' lives positively through various responsibilities such as teaching or coaching activities undertaken collectively by these dedicated individuals who share mutual goals centered around enhancing educational experiences offered across different facets present within today's dynamic learning environments encountered daily throughout modern-day academia worldwide today globally everywhere!