Coach Smith is the new coach at Arlington High School. He Coaches boys’ basketball and assists with girls’ basketball. He started teaching in 2001, and got his education at Mississippi Valley State and Tennessee Tech. He has been teaching for twenty-two years and 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 passion started when an old teacher of his grabbed onto him emotionally. This made him want to do the same thing he did for someone else. He talks about how positive of a person he is, and he’s always trying to look on the bright side of things. “I don’t have any problems with it,” he says when asked what the worst part of teaching was.

Coach Smith wanted to teach at Arlington High school because of the traditions at AHS. He says they’re “A1.” He chooses basketball to coach because he’s 6’6 and loves the sport. He enjoys teaching it because of the life lessons that come along with it. This includes dedication, commitment, and discipline, and how you can take this off the court and help make the foundation you want to set. His best advice is “do not cheat yourself.” When he talks about this topic, he has a lot of passion in his tone of voice, and it’s clear how much he really loves his job. One interesting fact he shared was that he taught another teacher here at Arlington, Ms. Fields. His advice to other 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.” He explains how you never know what kid is looking up to you and the impact you make on their life.

Coach Smith really loves teaching at Arlington along with teaching overall. You can see the passion he has for everything he does with this school, including teaching basketball. He shared many stories and lessons such as how he became a teacher and what inspired him. He’s a very positive person and has a very good attitude about many things.