Thanks to her continuous contributions to the school and community at West, The Zephyr wants to congratulate Smith on being the October Staff Member of the Month. Not only does Smith teach her Math 3 and 4 classes with a calm and helpful demeanor, she also spends her time working with clubs and student groups.
Smith’s helpfulness continues outside of teaching, with clubs and helping teachers out; she shows how much she supports the students. Though she is busy with other things, she still makes sure to continue to help out the school anyway she can, starting with planning activities for the school.
“Up until this year, I was the main advisor for the West Forsyth Student Government Association (WF SGA). I had to hand it over to some other teachers because of not having enough after-school availability. As of now, I am currently on the homecoming committee. I am also a tech guru for teachers and helping fellow teachers with Infinite Campus and Canvas,” Smith said.
Smith has been a part of the village for four years, joining the staff in November 2022. While Smith has enjoyed her time at here, it isn’t the only school she has called home throughout her educational career.
“I started out as a teacher assistant at Southmont Elementary School in Davidson County, and from there went on to teach first grade with the Davidson County Virtual Academy during COVID. After the COVID year, I moved to Lexington City Schools, where I taught at Lexington Middle School, teaching sixth-grade math and science.”
Smith is adamant that she likes teaching all grade levels, but prefers the atmosphere and experience of teaching high school students. With this, she would love to stay here teaching high school for the rest of her career.
“High school is by far my favorite (grades to teach), I am now certified in K-6 and 9-12 math, and since I have come to West, I never want to go back.”
Before her time at West, Smith worked at Old Navy during her five years in college. During this time, she dreamed of becoming a physician and going to medical school, so she initially majored in a science field.
“I originally went to Appalachian State, where I graduated with a degree in Exercise Science and a double minor in Biology and Psychology. I had every intention of going to medical school because that had always been my goal. However, I am not a great test taker, especially on high-stakes and stressful tests, so life sent me in a different direction. I always wanted to work with kids, so I wound up working as a teacher’s assistant (TA) and decided to go back to school and get my teaching license. I got my teaching degree from Gardner-Webb University,” Smith said.
Smith teaches because she loves working with children and she finds joy in educating students from diverse backgrounds. Since she has mostly juniors and seniors, she enjoys helping to encourage them in choices that lead to post-graduation. She hopes to get Early Childhood (EC) certified in the near future so that she can primarily work with EC kids.
“My hope is to, in the near future, get EC certified as well. I have a soft spot for EC kids. There was one student in particular, my first year as a TA, who just really drove me to want to learn more ways to help him. Teaching at a high school level compared to the other grade levels is so rewarding, though, because the relationships that I can build with the students here at West are far different than those of the lower grade levels. It is my hope that the students who come through my classroom are left with some sort of positive impact from their time with me,” Smith said.
Not only is Smith a helpful math teacher, but also a caregiver to her students, supplying a positive classroom environment, providing her students with snacks, candy, and hygienic products if needed . This goes to show how Smith goes above and beyond as a teacher, and is truly deserving to be this month’s Staff Member of the Month.
