“Isaac was relentless in his pursuit to inspire students to find a love for reading. He had a gift for finding an in to get a reluctant student reading, and he gave away hundreds of books over the years from his own collection to help our students start their own personal libraries at home.”
Thomas worked at the school for 20 years, most recently as the head of the English department.
Brett said the connections he made with students would be long-lasting.
“He always saw our students as whole people first, he saw beyond behaviour to who they were and had endless time and patience for kids that others might dismiss … He was an at-school dad to so many of them.
“A lot of teachers who remain in one place for so long eventually get a bit tired and jaded, but Isaac never lost his passion and energy. While he had a hilariously cynical personality, he would come into every single year with fresh ideas and renewed enthusiasm. He made teaching in incredibly tough times for education genuinely fun.”
Isaac Thomas taught at Auckland’s McAuley High School for 20 years.
Thomas was described as a “totally selfless” man, even in the days leading to his death.
“When he received his diagnosis, his primary concern was making sure we were all okay in our department and looking after our students…
“He was very at peace with his prognosis: he knew he’d had a real, profound, lasting impact on hundreds of lives through his service in education – his students had told him so.”
The Catholic, girls-only Ōtāhuhu-based college earlier paid tribute in an online message.
“Today our school has suffered a great loss of an amazing and loving English teacher, Mr Thomas.
“He advocated for our girls to be their best at McAuley and beyond and continued to challenge staff to work together to improve literacy skills.
“Rest in eternal peace, Mr Thomas.”
The school has a roll of 800 students from Year 9 to 13.