ARTS: Mr. Smith lives out his dream job as Poly’s replacement ceramics teacher.
By Dyala Harb, Staff Writer
After teaching at Norco Intermediate, Norco High, Roosevelt High and Auburndale Intermediate for five years total, Mr. Dustin Smith has decided to join Poly’s incredible staff as the ceramics teacher. From teaching as a long-term substitute to becoming a part of Poly’s faculty, his experience has been quite different. Smith has taught middle school life science, middle school math as an intervention specialist, and high school photography and ceramics. “My dream job of teaching ceramics brought me to Poly!,” Smith asserted.
Ever since he was a child, becoming a teacher was always one of Mr. Smith’s desires— alongside becoming an astronaut and a diver. While his ambition to become an astronaut or diver eventually went away, becoming a teacher seemed to grow more favorable as his career choice. As he grew up, his dad (who was also a ceramics teacher), Jerry Smith, was his inspiration, helping him realize what he wanted to do. “School was intended to teach pupils about life, and sometimes that got overshadowed by academics,” Jerry Smith claimed. “Ceramics was a place where he could teach his proud craft, as well as share moments of everyday life,” Mr. Dustin Smith expressed, sharing that it further encouraged him to follow in his father’s footsteps. Smith declared that his happiness in teaching ceramics persuaded him to take this opportunity at Poly. Smith finds the transition to Poly to be relatively simple. “There are always growing pains with any change, but Poly’s students and staff have made it much more comfortable,” Smith revealed.
“[Mr. Smith] has so much passion for what he teaches and patience for his students, which helps him to give us a better understanding of what we are doing,” Shanna Jardillier (11) expressed. Another one of his students, Tony Jardillier (12) explained that Smith is “down to earth, gets his job done and is still able to make sure everyone is happy.” Smith is delighted to be teaching ceramics here at Poly. “I think that Poly is great! The students are incredibly well-mannered, the teachers are friendly, and the administration is nothing shy of motivational,” Smith stated.