Mr. Thomas J. Fech

Position at SACA:   Social Studies Instructor

I am a Social Studies and General Studies Instructor at SACA. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with students here since January 2007. However, I have not always lived in Arizona. Continue, dear reader, for the details of my story…

I grew up in the farmland of Indiana where corn and soybeans rule and water is plentiful year round. I was first introduced to Arizona when I completed my student teaching on the Navajo Nation in Many Farms, AZ. I loved Arizona from the moment I saw my first sunset here. Unfortunately, I got stranded back in Indiana for another 15 months before I could move back to Tucson permanently in March of 2005.

My interests include many outdoor activities. I enjoy camping, backpacking, hiking, bouldering, biking, an occasional jog, etc. I also enjoy coffee, reading, and tinkering around with computers sometimes. History, obviously, is my favorite subject, and I also like to learn about other cultures and languages. I love to travel when I can, but Canada and Mexico are the extent of my international sojourns. Most importantly, I am happily married to my beautiful wife Janii, and we are expecting our first child in December of 2009.

Education is something that has always found itself on my plate. I have had ten years of experience working with young people at summer camps, which all started when I was fourteen years old. However, when I graduated from Madison-Grant High School, I thought I was going to become a meteorologist. After exploring my interests further, I began to remember how much I enjoyed working with young people. So, I switched to the education field and began studying more of my favorite subject—Social Studies.

I received a bachelor’s degree in Social Studies Education from Purdue University in December 2003. My primary area of study was American History with supporting areas in government and economics. Now, here I am at SACA! I enjoy SACA because of the opportunities to work with students one-on-one. Education becomes a much more rewarding and personal experience when you actually get to sit down and talk with someone about what you are learning and share a little bit of yourself in the process. In fact, I believe I’ve learned just as much about learning and life here at SACA as I’ve learned anywhere else in my life.