Mr. Wilkins: A name which shall live in Pleasantville infamy. A name which nearly anyone who attended middle school at PCSD holds with both reverence and fondness. Why? Because Mr. Tom Wilkins is the kind of teacher you remember. The kind of teacher who has high expectations for his students, but who also has high hopes for his students.

Mr. Thomas Wilkins has been teaching English at Pleasantville Middle School for 27 years. Ask any PCSD middle school alumni what they remember about Mr. Wilkins, and they'll give you at least one story, if not many, that will make you laugh and say, "I wish I had a teacher like that."

We sit down with Mr. Wilkins to talk about his career in teaching and why he has chosen to teach middle school for nearly three decades. He shares advice for parents and community members to help us understand this age group better.

We also share our personal memories with Mr. Wilkins and reminisce a bit about how things have changed and the greatest challenges middle school students are facing today.

We had a BLAST talking with Tom and hearing his philosophy on life and teaching! We know you'll enjoy hearing it too! And hey, let's make common sense common again!

Don't fall asleep, or you're cooked! (see our guide to GenZ speak here)