Few teachers have been able to garner the respect of the student body like Mr. Jon Fitzgerald during his time as a teacher at Pattonville. Unfortunately, Fitz’s days as a history teacher at the high school ended last semester. Now, he serves the students in a new way, as an administrator.

What were your qualifications for the job?

“I previously interned as an administrator while teaching at the St. Louis schools, so there’s that. After I submitted an application, I was interviewed by a number of people before finally getting the job.”

What has the transition from teacher to assistant principal been like?

“Interesting, I am able to walk around and talk to a lot more students now as an administrator than I did when I was teaching. There are also a lot more challenges. In the first week alone, we had to deal with a number of things, for example, the fire that happened in the kitchen on our first day back. We had to quickly assess and react to what was going on. If I were still a teacher, I would not have been involved in that process like I am now. Though, there are downsides. I am no longer able to form the close, personal, relationships with the students like I was able to when I taught.”

What are your goals this year?

“We have a pretty good school here at Pattonville, most of the kids here want to learn. I want to facilitate a safe learning environment for the students to thrive in.”

What are some challenges you face this year?

“I would say the big challenge we face is a successful transition. This year, we are implementing a ton of new stuff into the school. Pattonville is getting a new pool, a new football field and new laptops, just making sure we successfully transition the school into all these things is tough.”

What are some challenges you face specifically with the laptops? Especially with illegal activities.

“Well, making sure the laptops are successfully used in the class is the big one. As for illegal or prohibited activities, we have a number of computer-based blocks that have been put in place and then we have procedures for when someone tries or does something illegal.”