Working in summer programs throughout high school taught Teeterville Public School principal, Ian Summers, he had a knack for working with kids.
The Simcoe native grew up in town, graduated from Simcoe Composite School, and returned to Norfolk after attending the University of Guelph and Western University.
Summers’s original plan was to be a high school teacher, but he was offered a position in an elementary school to start off his career.
He then decided to move up to administration, where he started as a vice-principal before becoming the principal at Teeterville.
Summers says the job is all about communication and being present, and his favourite part of the day is greeting the students as they come in off of the bus.
The highlight of his career has been watching students progress over the long term time as his students, and watching them grow as individuals.
The principal says he is proud of the teachers, parents, and students for all of the effort that has been put in during the time spent pivoting from in-class to virtual learning.
The following interview was recorded before the return to school earlier this week.