“Mr Holland is so positive, funny, and quirky…he truly cares for his students, and it shows, making us love and respect him even more,” said Leleya Stallard, Tallwood high school senior and academy member. 

Leleya is one of many students who have enjoyed having Mr. David Holland as a teacher. Holland is a US Government teacher and is known throughout Tallwood for his quirky bow ties and kind heart. 

Mr. Holland was born in Richmond, VA, and raised there for the entirety of his childhood. During his middle school years, Holland found the passion for teaching that he still carries to this day. He stated that the positive impact his seventh grade history teacher had on him inspired him to do the same thing for other students one day. 

Moving forward into his college career, Holland attended James Madison University for both undergraduate and graduate school. He majored in history with a minor secondary education, while also doing student teaching and internships at local middle and high schools. 

He moved to Virginia Beach in 2013 and began his teaching career at Bayside Middle School, but he later moved to Tallwood in 2014 and is going on his tenth year here.  

Throughout his time at Tallwood, Holland has established positive relationships with each of his students, creating a comfortable learning environment for all. Through that comfortable environment, he’s been able to teach students the history and roots of the US government while also encouraging students to dig deeper and picture what kind of future they want for the government as well. 

However, he did acknowledge the complications that come with teaching a political class saying, “I always want students to feel safe and comfortable regardless of whatever their political opinions or beliefs might be.” He goes on to say that he is more concerned with helping students “understand what they believe and why they believe it and to be able to support those beliefs with evidence,” than he is with trying to sway them to believe what he does.

It is clear that from a student perspective, despite the complicated nature of a government and politics class, Holland’s teaching style does in fact work.

“He just teaches in a way that we can understand and some other teachers are not like that,” claimed Tavin Whitehead, Tallwood senior.

Leleya agreed saying, “he is never uptight or strict, but rather fun and kind and you can see his genuine love for teaching students about government.”

But aside from his love for government, Holland has many other interests outside of school as well. He bakes, cooks, plays piano, and volunteers at his church throughout the week. He is also an avid Dungeons and Dragons player and plays with a few Tallwood staff members every Sunday. His love for the game has also sparked interest among students who play D & D during lunch in his classroom. 

To any students interested in meeting Mr. Holland, whether it be to play D & D or have a discussion about the recent TikTok ban from a political standpoint, don’t be afraid to stop by D244 to say hello. He doesn’t mind at all, but rather  says, “I want students to feel like they can approach me…you can’t be scared of a guy in a bowtie.”