Sometimes
the little, gradual changes you make in your life make the significant
impact. For Nick South, his decision to look for a summer job after the
birth of his first child and while his wife was finishing her teaching
degree would be one of those changes. This change would define his
teaching career for the next 11 years and would show him what it would
take to become an administrator — a role he will begin full-time in the
next school year as principal of Lexington Elementary School.
What
South found was a summer teaching position at The American School in
England, one of five American schools in the European country. The
school needed a journalism teacher, and South had a background in
journalism.
“I thought seriously about other professions until
teaching just came to me. To me, journalism was a way to reach the
masses, to show and teach them about the world and its events,” said
South, who initially majored in journalism at Indiana University.
“Teaching does the same thing but on a so much more broader scale.”
With
his journalism education and his six weeks of experience backpacking
through Europe, South applied for the position at The American School.
He was offered a position at the school’s Summer Camp From Youth. In
this role, he worked with international elementary students for seven
weeks of enrichment learning. As part of the summer program, his
students took field trips to London to study art, history or science.
In
the three consecutive years South worked at The American School in
England, he was named the director of the summer camp program. During
that time, the summer camp program hosted about 200 students from 20
different countries for the seven-week summer enrichment learning
experience. The school also once hosted a Saudi Arabian princess, South
said.
“The experience in England was very administrative and gave
me a good look into what it took to be an administrator. I was only
director for a couple of years, but in that time, our enrollment nearly
doubled, and we were running a very successful program,” South said.
After
leaving the summer camp for a few years, South returned to teach
photography. When South returned, the structure and leadership of the
summer camp changed — The American School in England outsourced the camp
to another local school, and The American School only instructed middle
and high school students.
The experience stayed with South, and
he applied his experiences — including a trip to the World Council of
Curriculum and Instruction conference in Amritsar, India — to his
classroom at LES.
“The greatest [moment] of which was my time
working in England and bringing back that knowledge to use in my
classroom. A chance to show students that haven’t experience the world
what all is out there,” South said.
Even with all of his travels
and opportunities to work with people around the world, South still
appreciates his home and his school.
“There were opportunities. I
was invited to attend University of Southern California, accepted into
the Peace Corps, and offered a full-time position with the school in
England. Something always drew me back here. This is a good place to
live and raise a family,” South said. “The district has long been at the
forefront of educational advances. It’s been great being part of
something that’s seen some national notoriety in what we’ve
accomplished.”
While he had some great moments overseas, he said
the greatest influence on his career has been current LES principal and
new Director of Elementary Education Chuck Rose.
“Without a doubt,
the greatest singular influence on my career has been Mr. Rose. I’ve
grown immensely as a leader and a teacher because of his guidance,”
South said.
At Scott County School District 2, South’s story is our story. Your story matters. You matter.