The start of Eric Toots’ teaching career began 31 years ago at Baldwin Junior High School where he has taught ever since.

“I believed teaching and coaching was a great opportunity for me to have a rewarding career and have financial security,” Toot said.

Toot was a great teacher and taught many lessons in the classroom. Students will remember Toot and everything he has done for the rest of their lives.

“Live your life with self discipline,” Toot said. “People who have discipline in their life are the happiest and most productive citizens in our society.”

Becoming a teacher is very hard and takes lots of dedication but you can learn a lot and be rewarded for the hard work.

“The most rewarding part of teaching is the difference you can make and the overall experience of the job,” Toot said. “Every year and every student is different which is both challenging and rewarding.”

Toot has had lots of great opportunities and positive memories as a teacher and as a coach during his 31 year career.

“Having the opportunity to teach and coach my daughters, my niece and my nephew,” he said. “Also, having the opportunity to coach some of the best kids and athletes to ever attend Baldwin Junior and Baldwin High School.”

Toot will walk out of the classroom having made many new friends he will know for the rest of his life. He will miss teaching at BJHS.

“I will miss my colleagues….. I have made some lifelong friends during my 31 years of teaching and coaching,” Toot said. “I will miss seeing them on a regular basis.”

He will be missed by many colleagues and students.

“I have known Coach Toot since we were kids, and he has always put everything he has into everything he does,” BHS teacher/coach Kit Harris said. “He is a fellow coach I really looked up to and learned from. He has been one of the best overall and all-around educators our district has ever had. He always did things at a really high level and did things the right way.”

“He pushed us hard, he coached us hard, he was the reason we were so successful because of how hard he worked us,” All-League basketball player Lauren Berg said. “I have a lot of respect for him and loved playing for him.”