What’s Right With Our Schools: Landon Thomas and Virtual Learning

HAMILTON COUNTY, Tenn. (WDEF) – A Hamilton County boy is tops in Tennessee in a competition put on by tech giant Samsung. Virtual learning is a perfect fit for Landon Thomas. That’s a timely example for what’s right with our schools.

Juli Thomas is Landon’s mom.

She remembers, “This started out as a project, right, buddy? For computer science. The project had to do what they needed to be able to tell, ‘How are you going to explain how a computer works.’ So, Landon decided that he wanted to create an app that not only target, middle schoolers, but learning computers on the spectrum; what works best for kids like him.”

Landon explains, “Autism, ADHD. So those combine go with a combination that is actually difficult, but not as difficult.”

Lee Boles is the virtual coordinator for Hamilton County Schools.

Boles says, “We have a ninth grade, student, Landon, Thomas, who entered a contest ‘Samsung Solve For Tomorrow’.  We were notified a couple of months ago that he made it to the six state finalists for Tennessee. Last week we were notified that he was the state of Tennessee winner. So, through that, he has won two rounds of Samsung prizes package is valued at $15,000. He is now competing to earn a seat as one of the 10 national finalists in his competition. But I met Landon when he, when I first started. He was there before I was. This is my third year with Virtual School. And how much he has grown over the three years from this kid who wouldn’t have done this three years ago.”

Juli explains, “His thought process because of his autism sometimes can take a minute or two to kind of click. Every autistic child or person with ADHD, or learning disability, they all learn differently. So, he’s developed functions, so that way if they were depressed on, let’s say, the motherboard, it not only pops up with written words of what a motherboard is, but it also says it out loud.”

Landon admits, “I’m surprised. I came along way, and I’m starting to feel like I’m pretty much right on track yeah, right on track.”

Juli concludes, “I think he’s starting to realize that, and I think one of the quotes on his actual first page of his project is learning. The power and value of being different is the best you can give yourself.”