Over the course of nine months, teachers have the ability to make a huge impact in the lives of their students. Sue Smith, one of the new teachers at Faiss Middle School, knows exactly how precious each of those moments can be.
Smith and Faiss High School principal Roger West have a bond that began outside of the classroom.
Four years ago, on March 25, 2019, Principal West spoke to Ms. Smith for the first time after the unfortunate passing of her son. That afternoon, Smith’s son Jonny was walking home from school when he was struck and killed by a car.
“Jonny was one of those sweet guys who just brought sunshine everywhere,” Smith said. “He just wanted to be friends with everyone. He hated when people were sad.
Although the loss of her youngest son has been difficult, the tragedy led Ms. Smith to embark on a new journey that would take her back to the school her son attended.
“When Jonny passed away, I became very close with Mr. West,” Smith said. “So when I told him that he was going back to school, he was very excited and he was very supportive.”
Four and a half years after their first conversation, Principal West welcomed Ms. Smith to her new classroom as an elective literature teacher.
“It’s one of those ‘Hallmark;’ moments. in your career, that you just don’t forget, you know, I’ll never forget that phone call and I hope I never forget walking into that first class and seeing it with our students,” West said.
Now you can spread your love of literature to other students through books like the classic “Alice in Wonderland.”
While teaching literature to students at Faiss Middle School, Ms. Smith plans to continue as an advocate for traffic safety. She often gives public talks and interviews with the media to raise awareness on this issue.
That work has already led to the installation of a traffic light at the intersection of Fort Apache Road and Arby Avenue, where his son Johnny was struck.
