Inside the Mind of Mr. Tilton

By Emma Moffitt

Website Manager

Meet the Writer

SOAR High School is starting the year with a fresh face on campus. Mr. James Tilton has joined the teaching staff, bringing with him more than a decade of classroom experience and a passion for creativity, collaboration, and student success. He will be teaching English 9 Honors, English 11 Honors, and AVID 3.

Before arriving at SOAR, Tilton spent 13 years at Eastside High School as part of the nationally recognized Biomed Academy. During his time there, he helped launch an annual film festival and oversaw the publication of more than 20 collections of student writing. “One of my favorite projects was publishing more than 20 collections of student writing. I’m excited to continue that tradition here at SOAR—whether in class or through Creative Writing Club,” he said.

Juliet Jefferson, Creative Writing Club’s vice president, is thrilled to welcome Mr. Tilton as both a mentor and her AVID 3 teacher. 

She describes him as funny and passionate about learning.

“While I may have only known him for two weeks, I can already tell that Mr. Tilton will be a teacher for the ages,” she said, adding “He creates an environment where I want to learn, not where I feel forced to attend.”

Tilton’s teaching journey began long before his first official classroom role. Growing up in East Palmdale, he attended Antelope Valley College, where he was first hired to teach a weekly film productions class at a local high school. His interest in teaching, however, can be traced back even further. “When I was a kid, I’d sit all my stuffed animals around a table and teach them math and English. I would even create little coloring worksheets for them,” he said with a laugh. “Turns out, teaching humans was even better than teaching stuffed animals!”

Inside the classroom, Tilton emphasizes feedback and teamwork. “I’m a big fan of student feedback, both for myself and for other students. It helps us remember that we’re all on the same team and just trying to get better,” he explained. When asked what he hopes students take away from his class, he added, “I love the way a good book sticks with you even once you’re done reading it. I’d love it if my students got that experience this year.”

Outside of school, Tilton describes himself as a board game enthusiast, an avid reader, and a hot sauce collector. “I love hot sauce! I have 50 different hot sauces at my house right now and am always looking to have more,” he said. He and his wife Amy have traveled to six continents, with stops in Spain, Portugal, Morocco, and Great Britain among their highlights. He also shared a surprising fact about himself: “I won The Price Is Right back in the day. It’s an old episode and hard to find, but if you ever get a chance to check it out, you’ll see that AVC gets a shoutout!”

This year, students can find Mr. Tilton in room T600-F. Whether it’s to talk literature, swap board game strategies, or debate the merits of hot sauce, he’s ready to make SOAR feel like home.