Richard Smith-Executive Director First District RESA

Richard Smith

Today we are talking with Richard Smith, Executive Director of First District RESA. 
Mr. Richard Smith is a veteran educator who began his career as a teacher and coach in 1990.  During his career, he has served in the roles of assistant principal, director of CTAE, principal, assistant superintendent, and superintendent.  He believes that the education of all children is not only possible but our greatest mission. ​
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Mr. Smith is grounded in the belief that the real work of education takes place in the classroom, and is performed by quality teachers.  Materials and programs are the tools of those teachers, but it is the people working to build relationships at the classroom level that have the greatest impact on a child.  It is the job of everyone else, to support and remove barriers so that the classroom teachers can better perform their role.​
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In 1988, Mr. Smith earned a Bachelors in Business Administration from Georgia College. He also holds a Masters in Administration and Supervision and a Specialist in Educational Leadership from Georgia College & State University. In 2009, Mr. Smith completed the Superintendents Professional Development Program through the Georgia Department of Education and the Georgia School Superintendents Association.
Mr. Smith has two children, Will is employed at Southeast Bulloch High School; Macy is a Senior Special Education major at Georgia Southern University.

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Below are highlights from our discussion.
Tune in to our podcast to hear the full discussion. 

Dru & Angie
​1. We enjoy starting our conversation with a simple question. What is your super-power when it comes to education?
I think I can get people to kind of come together and work towards a common goal. Maybe it's because I can become the common enemy. 

Dru & Angie
2. From your resume, you have held several positions within the educational realm. Warning! We are going to put you on the spot. If you had to choose a favorite role, what would you choose and why?
I've shared this story before... being a high school principal was probably my favorite job, really, I ever had. When I was high school principal,  it was simultaneously the greatest job I ever had and the most stressful and difficult job I ever had. 

Dru & Angie
3. You are a parent, educator, and director. Times have certainly been challenging for everyone these past 8 months, but generally speaking, can you share your thoughts on ways for staying positive when teaching, learning, and parenting is so demanding?
We kind of had to reinvent who we were,  what we were, and what our purpose was.  At First District RESA,  we rapidly realized that our job was going to be helping teachers be prepared  to teach from home.
Maybe our focus became not so much about the content, but more about how do we help them cope with all this changing and how fast it's changing. 

Dru & Angie
4. This past school year was definitely different in regards to delivery of services. How did your role as director of First District RESA change as a result?
It gets back to the relationship piece - we all became connectors, support people and counselors or therapists, whatever word you want to use there.  I can remember  having group conversations with staff, but then having individual conversations to talk about what was going on with them.

Dru & Angie
5. What can educators expect from RESA this year?
Continued support for all educators.  

Dru & Angie
6. The pandemic has certainly changed the ways education is delivered. How do you see education post-pandemic?
Somebody asked me, What do you do? You know, I tell them I'm an educator, I'm a director, I've been a principal, and that's the what. But the why I do it is because I have a heart for kids and I want to see them be successful and have the opportunities that education can bring for them -  that's the part that hasn't changed.

We want to thank Richard Smith for taking the time to talk with us today. We enjoyed our conversation and we encourage educators within First District RESA to check out fdresa.org to see all the offerings for professional development and more. ​

First District RESA

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