Austin Smith, a Paschal High School graduate and former Division 1 baseball player, is now in his first year as a teacher and football coach at Paschal High School. With a laid-back and mellow demeanor and passion for teaching, Smith embodies the spirit of his alma mater.
Smith enjoys coaching kids and admits that “football is more interesting.” Merging his methods from playing baseball he incorporated that into football. You really have to have a way with children to put yourselves in their shoes and him being young he feels a lot like a laid back college student than a stern stubborn teacher. His teaching methods are straightforward and alluring due to his background lofi music. “Lofi helped me focus a lot in college”
Mr. Smith’s favorite book genre is science fiction. He likes the show Dark Matter on Apple TV, which is based in a multi reality world. It’s intertwined with his most enjoyable subject to teach to his world geography class: uncontacted tribes. The specific uncontacted tribes are from the Amazon Rainforest and he delves into the philosophical question of whether it would be right or wrong to change these people’s way of life.
As of recently, David Bowie is his preferred artist of the month and Rock N Roll suicide of the “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars” is his favorite song by the singer. The intense feeling you get from the album is the same energy he likes to push onto kids to help them graduate.“I want what’s best for the students even if they’re not going to use it. I want them to be able to graduate from here especially and get jobs because dropping out doesn’t help. I like teaching this stuff.”
Austin Smith’s mellow vibes and dedication to his students and athletes promise a rewarding year ahead at Paschal. With his unique background and commitment to fostering a chill and positive environment, he is poised to make a lasting impact in the lives of those he teaches and coaches.
