Coach Smith is one of many new coaches and teachers this year. He got his education at Mississippi Valley State and Tennessee Tech. He was intrigued by Arlington High School because of the traditions here. He says they’re “A1.” His choice of sport to coach is basketball, which makes sense because he’s 6’6 and loves the sport. He enjoys teaching because of the life lessons that come with the job, which include dedication, commitment, discipline, and how you can apply this to your life outside the court and help make the foundation you want to set. His best advice is “do not cheat yourself.” A cool fact about Coach Smith is his first year teaching, he had a student that is a teacher here at Arlington, Ms. Fields. Lastly his advice to future teachers is “you have to love it. Don’t do it for the money, don’t do it for the vacations. Just come in here and really make a difference.” This explains that you never know when a kid is looking up to you, and how much of a difference you could make in their life.

Coach Smith coaches boys basketball and assistant with girls basketball. He has been teaching since 2001and loves it. He talks about how teaching is his passion and he thinks it “calls you.” He says “You don’t just say “hey I want to be a teacher,” you gotta love it.” His interest of teaching started when a teacher of his grabbed onto him emotionally. This inspired him to be the person someone can look up to and make a difference. He talks about how positive of a person he is, and he’s always trying to look on the bright side of things. When asked what the worst part of teaching was, he responded with “I don’t have any problems with it.”