"If the AATG decided to create a soundtrack to the Certificate of Merit awards, then the song chosen for James Livingston without a doubt would be "You've Got a Friend in Me." Here is a teacher who receives respect and adoration from both students and colleagues alike, yet at the same time, is a friend, a confidant and an advocate all wrapped up in one.
If you didn't know Jim Livingston, through reading the letters and words from both former and present students, you would have an image of an enthusiastic teacher, a great listener, and an educator who encourages his students to go beyond the basics and outside the lines to experience more, learn more, see more and relate more. And speaking of more, Jim is a record holder - he has chaperoned high school students for the AATG German Summer Study Program ten times - more than anyone else. Since the German course directors have all raved about him, there will most likely be an eleventh time, twelfth time, thirteenth.
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Herr Livingston is more than just a Begleitlehrer but is, as one colleague points out, an irreplaceable partner to students, parents and fellow teachers; a motivating force and a source of enthusiasm for all of his students. His professionalism and high standards in his teaching roles also carries over in his role as Foreign Language Department Chair, and his effect on people are a rare gift. As one former student writes, "James successfully engrained in many of his students a long-lasting understanding and sense of involvement in a way that I have rarely if ever seen in other educators."
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