NPHS Part 2: How the staff influenced my passion for education

Have you ever considered how different your life would be without someone who has influenced you significantly? I’ve internally considered this question every single day for a few years now with regards to the staff at NPHS. I wonder how my passion for education would have developed differently without their presence, guidance, and constant involvement; I strongly believe that without the strong team of staff members at NPHS, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Nothing that I could ever say or do would accurately express the appreciation that I have for them, but I think that dedicating this post to them is a start. With that said, I’ll be discussing the staff’s passion for education, intense dedication and involvement, and positive attitude to demonstrate how they helped to develop my passion for education.

Their Passion

I think one of the most important characteristics of the NPHS staff is their obvious passion for education. I always had the feeling that the staff not only genuinely wanted to be there, but also wanted to ensure that the students were successful, which made me more excited and appreciative of my education.

Their passion was contagious too. Witnessing the excitement and enthusiasm that teachers, administrators, custodians, lunch ladies and gentlemen, security personnel, guidance counselors, secretaries, and numerous other staff members demonstrated at NPHS made me feel more passionate about the opportunities that education offers.   

Their Dedication and Involvement

It’s important to realize that NPHS isn’t a building that runs on a set schedule. Because of all of the events, activities, and other opportunities, the building barely sleeps. In order for any of these things to happen for the students’ benefit, the staff needs to be present and willing to participate.

Whether it was seeing the principals present and actively involved after hours and on the weekends, attending AP review sessions hosted by teachers in the evenings, receiving extensive help from guidance counselors throughout the college application process, staying after school for extra help, realizing how many staff members serve as advisors for extracurricular activities and organizations, etc., it’s clear that the staff dedicates so much more of their time than what their job description outlines.

There’s something to be said about the time and effort that the NPHS staff puts into ensuring that students receive a quality education inside and outside of the classroom. Without their dedication and involvement, I wouldn’t have been exposed to the various ways staff members can make a school a better environment.

Their Positive Attitude

As a student at NPHS, I was always excited to come to school. While I was excited to learn and challenge myself, I think I was more excited to see the staff, because their positive attitude had such a large impact on my educational experience.

NPHS always felt like home to me; however, that feeling wasn’t established by the building itself. The environment of the school was, and continues to be, cultivated by the attitude of the staff. Without their positive attitude, I never would have felt so welcome there or eager to learn, share my thoughts, or get involved.

 

As a future educator, I hope to follow in the footsteps of the staff at NPHS and always appreciate what they’ve done for me. Thank you, NPHS staff!

Here’s a slideshow of photos of some NPHS staff members:

This slideshow requires JavaScript.