Megan Blair is an 18 year veteran at Simpson Central School (SCS), beginning her career there in 2007 as a first grade teacher. She is now in her second year as assistant principal and loving every minute of it.
Blair is a 2002 Simpson County Academy graduate and pursued degrees in education, first receiving a bachelor’s in elementary education from the University of Southern Mississippi. She then attended William Carey University and graduated with a master’s in instructional leadership.
In addition to first grade, Blair taught second and sixth grades before moving into the position of lead teacher after ten years in the classroom. She held that position for six years before the promotion to assistant principal.
There is no average day for Blair— she helps wherever needed. She spends a great deal of time with her teachers. “I go through the lens as I did when I was lead teacher. I am support. I work a lot with curriculum here. We work with data. I also do classroom observations – give support in that area.”
Blair entered the field of education after watching her mother work as a special education teacher at Millcreek and Boswell Regional Center. “My mom was always creative. I saw her doing great things and it just inspired me to work in education.”
While she always knew elementary education was heart, Blair found she loved middle school just as much when she taught sixth grade. As lead teacher she also taught a semester of eighth grade and it was no different. “Big kids are just like little ones, they like to do the fun things too! I just have a love for all of them.”
Moving from the classroom, she was concerned that she would lose the connection with the students and she says she does miss the depth of relationship, watching them grow and learn.
“While I don’t necessarily teach a lot in this position I am in the classrooms a lot. I interact with them. I’m all around so I see them at different aspects. I love it here. I like working with teachers. I like to help but I also like being with the kids.”
Now that SCS has Pre-K, teachers and staff alike watch as kids grow from very little to eighth graders, seeing all the changes that take place in those years. “It’s very hard when they leave,” Blair said. It will be especially difficult to watch her eighth grade daughter finish this school year and move to high school. Having a son in fourth grade will help ease the transition, she said.
Blair enjoyed watching the growth of students in the classroom and has also enjoyed seeing growth across the school in its entirety, working with teachers to see that growth collectively. She said, “I like a challenge. When data doesn’t look good or we see room for improvement I like to dig deep into that, figure out what we can do to improve.”
Blair believes in the power of being positive, supportive and encouraging. “I see a lot of value in personal notes, messages to staff, little happies. I want them to know how much we appreciate them and see the efforts they do; how much of a difference they make.”
“Everything here is my favorite. I tell staff all the time ‘You are like family to me.’ We’re a good school, very family oriented. There are challenges that grow me and the people here. I do a lot here. I jokingly say I love it so much here that it’s never really work – it is a job at times – but I love it so much here that even the late nights don’t bother me.”
