Shannon Smith

There are several new teachers on campus this year. Shannon Smith, a graduate of North Texas who has taught elementary and middle school students for around 20 years, is one of them. Moving here from Stafford Middle School, Smith is getting used to teaching high school students whilst also teaching English to ninth graders. Recently Wingspan caught up with her to learn more about her first-year teaching high school students. 

Wingspan: What grade levels did you previously teach? 

Smith: “Before coming to Liberty, I taught elementary for 20 years; mostly 4th and 5th grade, and then I moved to middle school and taught 7th grade ILA for 6 years.”

Wingspan: What is the greatest difference between teaching at a middle school level versus at a high school level? 

Smith: “There are a lot of differences, I think one of the biggest differences I noticed right away was just the staff size, it is so much greater. I feel like we probably had half as many staff members at middle school as we do at high school. It is a little more challenging getting to know people that you work with at a personal level. If they are not immediately in your planning group, then chances are, you won’t even run into them naturally throughout the day. The students are much more independent and self-disciplined. I’ve been most surprised by how you guys clean up after yourselves because I feel like I spent so much time picking trash and pencil shavings and cheez-its off the floor at middle school. I am impressed with not just that but the increased motivation to make good choices and be responsible and motivated in their success.”

Wingspan: What was the transition like from teaching middle schoolers to high schoolers? Why is that? 

Smith: “The transition to go from middle schoolers to high schoolers wasn’t very hard because I’ve raised 3 children and I’ve been accustomed to being around high school kids because of my children and all of their friends going around. I just like being around kids in general so it doesn’t matter if I’m teaching pre-k students or teaching 9th graders. You have to kind of figure out what their specific needs are for that age group but I think they are all just, whether they are 4 or 14, they are just people who want to be treated with respect and cared about. I think as long as you meet those needs, they are going to be willing to learn more from you and they are going to be more successful in your class.”  

Wingspan: What are your hopes for this year? Anything you might want to accomplish? 

Smith: “I hope that I become more knowledgeable of the content level for freshman English but what is always my goal, regardless of who is teaching or what I’m teaching is always to be a positive influence on my students, make sure they know I care about them, and that they are better human beings when they leave my class at the end of the year than they were when they first came in.”

Wingspan: What type of high school student were you? 

Smith: “I was everywhere, I was in the band, choir, show choir, theater, and I was also a cheerleader. I also played sports, I played volleyball and tennis. I think I was just friends with everybody, all different groups. I wasn’t a big study kind of person, I always liked doing things last minute I felt like I did my best work at 1:00 in the morning the night before it was due. I had so many things going on at once and studying wasn’t one of them but I got them done and graduated in the top 10 percent of my class. I think that would be a lot harder to do with how competitive kids are academically these days.”

Wingspan: Any advice for people currently in high school?”

Smith: “I believe that kids, in general, tend to be in such a hurry to grow up, and while it is certainly important to be focused on the future or to be cognizant of the future, kids just sometimes forget to just be present and live in the moment, enjoy their youth. To me, it just feels like kids are in such a hurry to grow up that they forget what a blessing it is to be young and not bog down in spouses and children and bills. Just enjoy being young, you are not going to be young for very long so make the most of it.”

Wingspan: What inspired you to want to become a teacher? 

Smith: “My parents were both teachers, I grew up in my mom’s classroom before and after school, and my dad was a principal. I think in my heart, I knew I wanted to be a teacher but I struggled with the idea that I would never make as much money as some of my counterparts. Ultimately, I knew that I needed to not worry about money and I needed to focus on the calling that I knew I needed to serve which was to become an educator.” 

Wingspan: What do you think is the most important skill people should get out of your class? Why is that? 

Smith: “I think that one of the most important things that I teach is how to communicate effectively in the real world. Whether it is in written form or verbal form. Just learning how to be respectful in your interactions with people, how to express yourself eloquently, I think that is a skill that people are going to use in every walk of life; whatever job path they use.”

Wingspan: What is your teaching style like? 

Smith: “I think I am very laid back and easygoing. I like to create an environment where my kids are in control of their learning and not where they are being force-fed every direction that has to be carried out to complete an assignment. I feel like I just work personally best in an environment where I am given some autonomy and I like to pass that down to my students as well. It does not come naturally to me to be militant or dictatorial in the way that I lead.”

Wingspan: What is your proudest moment when it comes to teaching? 

Smith: “I was working with a 5th-grade student who was very challenging. He had a very difficult home life, which I didn’t know at the time and he came to school every day tired and haggard and just with a very bad attitude. He was a tough kid to connect with because he didn’t trust anybody, he was struggling every day. I just remember a moment when he and I were having a one-on-one conversation and he started to drop the walls, he started to share with me some of the hardships he was experiencing on a personal level. It became very apparent to me why the school wasn’t his number one priority. You have to figure out a way to connect and until you connect, it is really hard to academically get the kids where they need to be because some kids are struggling just to survive in this world.” 

Wingspan: How can English be used in real life? 

Smith: “I think that being able to use English effectively and correctly, helps people see you as credible in just about any arena of life. If you are articulate and well-spoken, if you can express yourself effectively, both verbally and in written form, people are going to be more likely to listen to what you have to say. I truly think it is something that anybody needs to know how to do is to communicate like an intelligent, respectful person.”