Harold Tomlin of Sallisaw was a high school principal for three years, but now works as a correctional teacher at Eddie Warrior Women's Prison in Taft, a minimum-security prison.
Tomlin commutes the hour-long trip to Taft four days each week and works 10-hour shifts, but said the job is rewarding.
"It's been really fulfilling work," Tomlin said. "I enjoy getting the ladies' lives turned around."
Tomlin said he wears several hats with his job, and aside from teaching, he also coordinates the General Education Development (GED) program and helps with the prison's accounting program.
Inmates are tested when they first come into the prison system to determine their current educational level, Tomlin said. From there, the inmates have the option of continuing their education, which Tomlin and other staff members encourage them to do. Tomlin said about two-thirds of the inmates are high school drop-outs, and education courses range from literacy courses to GED and college classes.
Tomlin said some inmates are stipulated to obtain a certain level of education as part of their sentences, but most are voluntarily there to better themselves.
Before his job at the prison, Tomlin was a teacher, librarian, high school counselor, and then principal at Sallisaw High School. After he retired as principal in 1997, he said that he took a vacation and caught up around the house. In 1998, he found out about the open position in Taft and applied.
"I thought it sounded interesting," Tomlin said about the position.
Tomlin said he helped many inmates get their high school diplomas and encourages them to get into college. The prison's college classes are available through Conners State College in Warner. He said that the higher the inmates' education levels, the less likely that they will be back in prison.
"It helps them feel like they can succeed," Tomlin said about helping the inmates get an education.
While some may think that teaching inmates would be more difficult than teaching teenagers, but Tomlin said the experience is only different, not difficult.
"These people are here," Tomlin said. "There's no problem with absenteeism."
Tomlin said most of the inmates are motivated, and they are adult women who realize where they've been and where they want to be in the future.
"It's a good teaching situation when you have clientele who are interested, motivated, and have goals," Tomlin said.
Tomlin said the women have experienced the bottom and have examined their lives, and now they are ready to change. He said most are mothers with children, and their goal is to get back on their feet and become better mothers.
To help the inmates cope with life after prison, the prison teaches transition skills like interviewing and job searching.
Tomlin teaches two groups that meet twice daily, and he also teaches a college class on Thursday nights.
His classroom is a regular classroom setting with 25 seats available, and he has an office for paperwork. There are also inmate tutors who assist other inmates with their education.
"It's sort of like a high school principal," Tomlin said.
Tomlin said he helps the women get their skills up, which helps them realize that they can succeed.
"They get bitten by the success bug," Tomlin said. "They want to learn more."
In an effort to recognize the inmates' achievements and provide motivation to others, the prison has a full graduation ceremony three times each year. A valedictorian and salutatorian are selected and both receive college scholarships.
"It has been extremely rewarding," Tomlin said. "These people are human beings and they have made mistakes."
Tomlin said the fact is that 97 percent of the women get out of prison. He said the prison staff wants them to be more productive and have an education.
"It's important that they make it when they get out," Tomlin said.
