In our school we have over 200 staff members who have many different jobs. There are math teachers, English teachers, and sports coaches, along with lunch staff and custodians. Students don’t realize how difficult it is to be a teacher or staff member at a high school – having to deal with moody teenagers for 6 hours, 5 days a week. As I was curious to know what staff members go through, I decided to follow a staff member around for a day to see what their typical day is like. This week I followed our lovely principal around, Mrs. Lisa Smith, to see what her day is like!
To start her day, when Smith gets to school she usually will check with the secretaries to make sure there are subs for classes that need one. Then “I enjoy standing outside the door in the mornings, greeting students when they get to school!” Smith’s morning would then consist of having meetings with staff, sometimes parents, and then occasionally, people from FCPS Central Office. Additionally, she also has to constantly check her emails to make sure she sees if there are any new updates with systems or safety concerns. “I’m always transitioning things very quickly to completely separate topics. Whether it is for a teacher, or student. I have to work very fast and make fast decisions either in person or on email; but it becomes very challenging if there are various things going on at once across different mediums.”
Smith works effortlessly to make sure all staff enforce FCPS rules and that students are following them. Smith also really enjoys working with teachers or staff members and observes them. “I sometimes get bummed when I can’t stay long enough to give teachers feedback…but I will usually engage in class with the students and check up on them too.” Smith strives to be able to improve Tuscarora’s metrics and “ want to make THS the best high school in any metric so doing whatever it takes.”
Her favorite part about being our principal at Tuscarora is, “Spending time with students and guiding students to become more motivated!” Smith says that she is really excited and proud when students come to her with ideas they want to execute or suggestions on how to run things. She said that those comments are what make this a better school, and that those help her make decisions taking into consideration students’ perspectives.
When asking Smith, ‘What is something you always look forward to?’ she responds, “I want students to really focus on their learning in classes, but also socially, and learn how to build relationships. I want to help students be prepared in so many ways, and for them to take advantage of themselves and the opportunities available at this school.” Even though Principal Smith has a tough job, to be in charge of Tuscarora High School, she implements rules to keep us safe and to help us achieve the best education possible. Hopefully, this may help us all appreciate how lucky THS is to have a principal who is so dedicated to student success. Thank you Principal Smith for all you do for THS!
Stay tuned for a new Day in the life of ….
