Brandon Thornton ’11, M.S. ’16, is a professional educator. He believes in his work as a special education teacher and in the social justice causes he is passionate about. An introverted person, he’s always been politically aware and even active, but he’s been understated when it comes to LGBTQIA+ activism. His thinking on the subject has evolved recently.
“I haven’t been as ‘loud’ with that kind of political work in comparison to racism and anti-Blackness,” Thornton said.
Early in his career, Thornton, who turns 34 in July, would listen quietly as his students speculated about pairing him romantically in pretend situations with whomever they preferred, most often one of his female co-workers. Eventually, he spoke up.
“The more and more I heard gay slurs tossed around as comedy, the more I realized I owed it to my students to live authentically,” he said. “In turn, I’ve cultivated a safe space for many students to lean into who they are—whether that be their identity as a K-Pop fan, anime enthusiast, or as trans. Living authentically as a proud, out, Black male educator paved the way for that.”
Outside of the classroom, he likes to speak to future teachers in College of Education instructor Katie Lopez’s TCH 212 class, the Teaching Profession In Secondary Schools. He also speaks to RSOs like EdRising and Queer Ed Birds.
“These new teachers are entering classrooms at a different time, a turning point really,” he said. “Kids want to know who their teachers are, and they won’t follow you until they know you. I preach on the importance of living authentically whenever I’m invited to speak at conferences too.”
His work and his own education ambitions have slowed his social justice participation at times, but his passion remains. He has a renewed focus on areas that concern him greatly.
“My attention is on the coordinated attacks on pride parades, drag entertainers, and in some cases, the rights of trans people,” he said. “I intend to do more policy work to ensure that Illinois, McLean County, and Illinois State University continue to be spaces I’m proud to call home.”
His interest in Illinois State came as an honors student at Rock Island High School.
“Well, this is an awesome place, and I knew that because most of my favorite math and English teachers in high school all went to ISU,” he said.
As a youngster, he came to campus to visit his oldest brother, Julius Thornton ’99, and liked what he saw. He eventually picked Illinois State and liked it so much that he kept getting degrees here. First, he earned a B.S. in 2011 in math education; then he earned an M.S. in 2016 in special education; and, after that, he couldn’t stop.
“Now, I’m working on my Ed.D.,” he said. “I just finished my dissertation. I’ll be defending in July and finishing in August. The hooding ceremony is in December, and I will attend.”
Of his many accomplishments, getting his doctorate is the one he’s most proud of.
“I will be the first in my family tree to do that,” he said.
His interest in a career in education was inspired by his mother, Teresa, who ran a daycare.
“She’s now retired, but she was a preschool teacher, and she absolutely influenced me,” Thornton said. “I watched her take care of kids all my life growing up. She started a home daycare, which she expanded. She’s proud of me, but she wants me to slow down.”
“The more and more I heard gay slurs tossed around as comedy, the more I realized I owed it to my students to live authentically.”
Brandon Thornton
One of Thornton’s most challenging times came in 2020 when he noticed after the George Floyd murder that not many of his students were participating in local protests.
“This is one of the most diverse schools and school districts in the area and in the state,” he said. “I thought: ‘Where is everyone?’”
He decided to try to increase student awareness, but he didn’t want to be accused of indoctrination. Despite his best efforts, he was the target of intense criticism from parents at school board meetings, and a local conservative radio station even posted blog stories about him that Thornton described as “inaccurate and unfair.”
He was the subject of numerous Freedom of Information (FOIA) requests seeking texts and emails between him and his students, between him and local political leaders, and between him and school administrators.
“But there were none because everything had been very organic and all organized by students, who were already social justice activists,” he said. “But it was a very hard time, so I kind of withdrew.
He bounced back when he was recognized by the Illinois State Board of Education as the East Central Illinois Teacher of the Year in 2021 and by the National Education Association with its Foundation Award for Teacher Excellence in 2022.
He then wanted to learn more about being a teacher-leader. He sought out Teach Plus, a national organization that teaches teachers to think like policy makers. For Teach Plus, he was asked to come up with an issue that needed to be addressed.
“There’s been no protection for students or teachers when something racist happens,” Thornton said. “We wanted a policy in place that mirrors sexual harassment, that’s very strategic and protects the privacy of the victim and mandates a racial harassment policy. We wanted to communicate that policy in a number of ways so that victims know what to do, where to go, who to talk to.”
The result of that work is the Racism Free School Act, Senate Bill 90, which is on its way to Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s desk in the coming weeks to be signed into law.
“It’s not critical race theory, and there’s no education piece included,” Thornton noted for his critics. “It’s just policy.”
When he’s not working he likes to read what he calls “very light stuff” because of all the serious academic reading he’s had to do for years. He prefers young fiction, fantasy fiction, and books that have been made into movies. He also coaches speech and debate, which is a year-round pursuit, and he’s an assistant coach for the cross-country team. But his life is not all work, he said.
“I do have a Las Vegas trip coming up, and I’m going to see Beyoncé in concert, which will be the fifth time I’ve seen her,” he said.
Thornton is proud to teach at Bloomington High School (BHS), proud of his students and of his employer, Bloomington Public Schools District 87.
“I love it here at BHS, and I’ve always felt comfortable here especially as a person of color,” he said. “It’s really the first time I’ve gotten to see students who look like me—and that includes in undergrad, my master’s, and now my doctorate.
“Plus, I’ve always been very intentional about teaching students of color, and District 87 provides that opportunity.”
He said he never has to look far for inspiration or motivation.
“I’m inspired by my co-workers, and I look up to them so much,” Thornton said. “I’m proud of them for their hard work. A lot of them inspired me to go back for graduate degrees. I’m inspired every day by my kids and co-workers.”
