Thomasville City Schools’ faculty and staff launched into 2020 with an introduction to their new superintendent, Ben Wiggins on the January 6 teacher workday following Winter Break.
Wiggins opened by asking the audience multiple trivia questions such as names of the 2019 Nobel Prize and 2012 College Football National Championship winners which drew a combination of unsure answers. The last question, however, involved the name of each person’s first grade teacher. The majority of the audience could confidently recall their teachers’ names.
Wiggins then went on to ask the audience to name their favorite teacher and why they felt that way. He asked if anyone’s reasons included the tests they took or the amount of knowledge amassed in that teacher’s class. The answers, of course, were instead associated with relationships and commitment. A commitment to the daily processes in the classroom is the way, according to Wiggins, for teachers to get the results they desire.
Wiggins’s message of encouragement continued with his views on loyalty and how important it is for everyone in an organization to focus on a common goal. “Choosing your attitude” and “controlling the controllable” were two other types of mindset Wiggins aimed to instill in the faculty and staff as they enter into the second half of the 2019-2020 school year.
Wiggins said that he has felt welcome and that he and his wife Jan are looking forward to meeting new people and becoming a part of the Thomasville community. A ‘Meet and Greet’ will be held on February 4, 2020, in the Thomasville High School Cafeteria from 5:30 – 7:00 p.m.