God always has a purpose for our lives.  This truth is seen in the purpose behind English teacher Tom Beale working at Northlake Christian. Teaching at Northlake for around ten years, Beale found his way to Northlake in an interesting manner.

“I was teaching across the lake and someone put an ad from a newspaper on my desk and this person was a believer and said, ‘I was praying for you and I believe God wanted you to see this. I’m not sure what you’re supposed to do with it, but I know you’re supposed to call.’ So I called,” Beale said.

He had no intention of changing jobs, since he enjoyed his job of teaching kids that had just been released from prison, but after he interviewed with the headmaster, David Diamond, he knew he was being called by God to teach at Northlake.

“I sat with him and the interview was more of us sharing and praying together.When I left that interview, I knew I was supposed to be here, which was a bit odd because I did not live [on the Northshore] or have any contacts over here. I didn’t know anyone over here and I wasn’t sure about the school because it was a bunch of trailers,” said Beale.

At the time, Beale was unsure of how this new period in his life would go but he has grown to enjoy the time he gets to spend with students in the classrooms at Northlake.

“Academically, when the door shuts and the 80 or 90 minutes that I have in the classroom begins, that’s the most fun to me,” Beale stated.

Northlake has been blessed by Beale in many areas. Beale has a great sense of humor and when asked what his title at Northlake is, he answered in a typical “Beale” fashion.

“High Lord Chamberlain, Thomas Beale Esquire the Third,” Beale said, with a straight face.

Teaching English I and III, creative writing and athletic PE classes, Beale rounds his busy schedule out by being the head powerlifting coach and helping out with football.

“I am one of the assistants to the assistants to the assistants on the [varsity] football team and I’m an assistant coach on the seventh and eighth grade football team, as well as head powerlifting coach here at Northlake,” Beale explained.

Beale is more than qualified to be the powerlifting coach, seeing as he started his own powerlifting career in 1990. He competed in bodybuilding first, where a friend of his, who ended up being his coach and mentor, said Beale should compete in a powerlifting meet, which he did.

“One year I qualified for the nationals in powerlifting and [it overlapped with bodybuilding] and so that was the end of bodybuilding and I did nothing but powerlifting for 18 straight years. Then I turned 40 and I decided to be an idiot and do both again,” Beale said.

Students of Northlake typically love this light-hearted, yet stern, teacher.

“I like Coach Beale because I know that if I need anything, he would drop everything and be there for me. He is drop dead funny and he’s beloved by everyone and everything. He won’t let anyone give up,” said sophomore Mia Castagnetta, an English student of Beales and a member of the powerlifting team.

Not only do powerlifting athletes benefit from Beales wisdom, students of other sports love him as well.

“I love Coach Beale because he has helped me, not only get stronger and eat better but he has made my confidence way better than it use to be. He gives me hard workouts and weird stretches because he knows they will help me and I know it will help me get better at [cross country],” said junior Gavin May, a Northlake cross country runner.

Beale is well-loved around Northlake and if it were not for God’s will, Tom Beale might not be at Northlake, investing in students whom he loves and who love him.