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)

Tara Williams is a Pleasantville girl through and through and she is BACK to her hometown as the Pleasantville Community School District's Activities Director. Tara sits down with us to talk about being a life-long learner, how athletics helped keep her on track in high school, her faith, family, and so much more!

Whether you've just met Tara this year or you've known her since pre-school, you'll love hearing her perspective and laughing along with us as we hear all about her journey to where she is today.

Other links:

PVILLEYI Building Project

If you would like to help the Goodale family, you can find ways to do that here.

If you would like to watch the prayer night video mentioned in this podcast, you can watch it here.

Eric Goodale, the self-proclaimed mayor of Beech, has lived in the Pleasantville area for nearly two decades now. He and his wife Brenda have raised their three children: Elizabeth, William, and Grace, in the Pleasantville Community School District. After working for Youth Homes for 20 years, Eric began working at The Well in Knoxville, where he serves people in crisis and in need every day. His expertise in care for others earned him a spot on Pleasantville Youth Initiative's board from day one.

Recently Eric underwent emergency brain surgery and was confronted with a possibly terminal cancer diagnosis. This news shocked everyone who knows and loves Eric and the Goodale family, and the community's response was immediate. Prayer gatherings and meal trains began. But so did a lot of questions. Questions like, how could this happen to such a good person? Why would God allow someone who does such good things to suffer in this way?

Eric has been sharing his story and his faith with his community from the moment of his diagnosis, which as of this podcast posting, was only three weeks ago. His joy has been so evident that people have been reaching out to him for encouragement, love, and reassurance.

We wanted to give Eric a platform to answer some of the questions the community has been asking him, and asking God.

This podcast is longer than usual, but we felt it was important to let Eric share his story fully (or as fully as possible in little less than two hours).

You will be blessed by Eric's story, his faith, and his perspective.