The personality of your teacher and their style greatly impacts how your year will go and what your grade will be. A teacher has the ability to make a class more entertaining or make it less intriguing. Students spend hours discussing their teachers before the year begins even asking former students what they think about the particular teacher.  

With English teacher Wil Lobko out on paternity leave, Mr. Thomas Curley stepped in to teach and aid his students. Students are often nervous about having a  replacement teaching them, but with over 20 years of experience around the New England area in multiple different teaching environments, Mr. Curley has a lot to offer to Hackley students.    

Mr. Curley received his bachelor’s degree from Harvard University as well as a masters degree from Boston University. Prior to coming to the Hilltop, Mr. Curley worked at various schools from New Hampshire to Connecticut including Eaglebrook and the Wooster School. He has vast knowledge and experience in multiple fields and subjects including history and humanities courses along with Makerspace and computer programming. As well as teaching, Mr. Curley has also acted as a coach, advisor, choral director, and lived in dorms as dean of student life at Derryfield school. 

Over the summer, Mr. Curley was searching for teaching positions, and when this chance came up he was excited to roll the dice. 

“Finding one to come up at Hackley presented a great opportunity, so I was happy to apply,” he said.

Mr. Curley is teaching three sections of senior English course Panopticon Prime and one section of English 10. While working with his sophomore English section, he assisted them with writing their poetry essay,

“His ideas varied a lot from other English teachers I’ve had in the past but I’ve enjoyed getting to learn from a different perspective and getting new insight on my writing,” Tyler Mook ‘25 said. 

Mr. Curley also assisted the seniors with their essay on The Circle:  “Mr. Curley was very helpful with writing our essay. He was very understanding about the whole process and was open to extending deadlines if anything came up,” said senior Lucia Monteleone. 

Upon arriving on the Hilltop, Mr. Curley has been shocked by not only the intellect but the kindness of  Hackley students he has encountered. 

“Hackley has been a welcoming and open place to step into. All of my students have been hardworking, curious, and respectful, and it has been an absolute pleasure to be able to work with them,” he said. Hackley’s virtue of entering here to be and find a friend has clearly shone through as a teacher of over 20 years was impressed by the community’s kindness. 

As former and present students will tell you, Mr. Curley has three rules that all of his classes no matter the subject matter or age group follows. “1. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you, 2. Don’t do anything stupid, and 3. Always keep a sense of beauty and wonder about you.” With Mr. Lobko’s return, Mr. Curley’s students will have to adjust back to his style of teaching but with open minds to new styles of thinking and always staying curious.