New Staff Spotlight: Brent Smith, Mathematics Teacher & Assistant Football Coach ✏️
“I grew up in Flanagan and graduated from Flanagan High School in 2007. I went on to Millikin University, where I continued my football career and earned my Bachelor’s in Mathematics Secondary Education with PE as a second teaching field. I just finished my Master’s in Educational Leadership through Aurora University in August and this is my fifteenth year teaching.”
“After college, I taught at IVC for a year before joining Bana at Henry for four years. I spent the last nine years at Flanagan before this opportunity opened up for us. Along with teaching math, I’ve taught PE a few times, and at Flanagan I also served as the Director of Student Services since we didn’t have a guidance counselor.”
“Outside of school, our boys love being outdoors. We try to travel when we can, especially to visit family in Florida and Wisconsin. Last spring we hiked in Arizona, including Sedona and Fossil Creek Falls as highlights. We’ll go to Starved Rock and Matthiessen, and since we live in the woods, the boys get plenty of time to just be kids.”
“I would say I had a lot of good teachers and coaches that were mentors for me. Coach O’Boyle was my football coach for all four years at Flanagan. He was somebody that all of us looked up to. I also had a lot of family that was in education. My grandpa was a teacher, principal, and superintendent. I have an aunt that was a teacher and eventually became a principal before retiring. My mom was also a teacher so I just grew up around it. It’s a job that I knew I would be able to feel that I’m making a difference. You can see a student years down the road and know that you did something to help them out.”
“Seneca’s facilities stand out, but what really strikes me is how genuinely excited teachers and students are to be here. There’s a real appreciation for what we have and a positive atmosphere you don’t always see in high schools. It’s also great to see so many students interested in going into education, which says a lot about this place.”
“With my freshmen, the goal is that they not only build math skills but also life skills. In Algebra III, I want them to come away from it feeling prepared for whatever math they plan to take in college. Overall though, I just want to keep getting out of my area of the building to continue building relationships with the students and staff.”