Thomas R. (Thomas Raymond) Cole

Thomas R. Cole was an American educator best known for Learning to Be a Schoolmaster (1922). At the time of that book's publication, he was serving as Superintendent of Schools in Seattle, and the book itself identifies him as having previously worked as an assistant state superintendent, a village school superintendent, and a city high school principal.

His career appears to have moved steadily from school leadership into higher education. Archival records describe him as Thomas Raymond Cole, born in 1881, later a professor of education at the University of Washington, and a figure involved in statewide school planning in Washington during the 1950s.

What makes Cole interesting as an author is the practical tone of his writing. Rather than offering abstract theory, he wrote from experience, focusing on the everyday challenges of entering the teaching profession, working with school boards and staff, and building effective schools in the community.