Mr. Langston sat down with Pantherette editors, Hedaya Abdul Karim and Madeleine Gil for an exit interview. “The last time that I was interviewed was when I first came here to Paschal,” said Langston.
Mr. Langston has been in FWISD education for an astounding 29 years; he’s been a principal for 19 years, and principal at Paschal for 7 years.
He finds himself constantly amazed by the fact that there are currently eight students here at Paschal whose parents he taught. During his time at Paschal, there have been many memorable moments. His favorites vary from handing out laptops with PHS staff members in 2020 to watching the PHS varsity boys football team in the playoffs this year.
For Mr. Langston, it’s hard to pick just one memory that stands out. He reminisces about the first play he saw in the Todd Theater, the Class of 2021 Panorama (and the story behind it), and the joy he felt when the varsity girls basketball team won their first district championship.
It is notable that Langston also presided over Paschal during a once in a century pandemic that closed down schools for close to a year and simultaneously supervised a major remodel of Paschal’s main building.
He stays very involved in all school events, whether that be Whiz Quiz championships or school dances. One of his favorites, though, is graduation. Though it can be sad, as it is the end of an era for many, it’s also the beginning. “It’s a liberating experience because it’s the promise of what’s coming next,” Mr. Langston says.
As for his greatest success, Mr. Langston says that he is most proud of Paschal’s unity. “Despite diverse backgrounds, we all tolerate and support each other,” he said.
The idea of Paschal being one is important to Mr. Langston because there was a time when Paschal was separated into three different schools that did not interact. He finds comfort in the fact that slowly but surely, “we are replacing the bad with the good.”
When it comes to Mr. Langston’s philosophy when dealing with teens, he firmly believes in the ideology of “live and let live.” He admits that he doesn’t have all the answers and that his faith in humanity drives his belief that everyone has a purpose.
“We’re both equal. I have authority as a principal, but we’re equal human beings,” he expresses.
According to Mr. Langston, the best thing you can do is understand that everyone can be redeemed. He believes that mistakes should be learned from because they are lessons, but mistakes do not define the rest of one’s life.
Above all, Mr. Langston emphasizes “relations over transactions” in his day-to-day life. Instead of seeing what you can get out of a conversation, you should focus on what you can give in. Mr. Langston claims that he is a very relational person, and that this is how he maintains his connections.
Being a father of two daughters has also played a crucial role in Mr. Langston’s educational career. He mentions that his own fatherhood made him realize that developmentally, “we’re all in different places.” This allows him to empathize with students, which is very important to him.
“Being a parent helps me to be natural,” he observes.
In his free time, Mr. Langston enjoys running and hiking, and recently participated in the Cowtown marathon. He also likes going to the beach with his wife and taking other trips with his family. He is a Marvel fan and enjoys watching movies. He loves the intensity of sporting events, whether it be the World Cup, the Super Bowl, March Madness, or the World Series.
In his retirement, he hopes to spend more time outdoors running and hiking. He has a bucket list with both short and long term goals. Some of his immediate goals are to write a book, go on a long hike such as the Appalachian Trail, complete a 50 mile trail run, and do a triathlon. Some of his long term goals include writing more books and going on the Mont Blanc hike in France. He also looks forward to taking more trips with his family.
Mr. Langston supports both public and private school, but is concerned that recent government debates and policies have the potential to devalue public education. However he is also hopeful that it could see a resurgence of support.
“I do see a potential for devaluing public education and that alarms me. I also see that there could be a light at the end of the tunnel where people realize that we have tried other things and they aren’t going to end up working for everybody,” he says.
He adds that he is a product of both public and private education so supports both of those options for people, but personally chose to put his own children in public education. “My wife and I are public educators and we believe very strongly in supporting that.”
In all of his 29 years of working in education, Mr. Langston says that his favorite part was being a classroom teacher because of the day-to-day interaction with his students. He taught AP Biology, chemistry, and IPC, and also coached soccer and sponsored student council.
“When I was a classroom teacher I didn’t have the overarching responsibilities. I had a lot more personal freedom in the classroom and I was able to do things outside of the classroom,” says Mr. Langston. He continues, “I don’t dislike being an administrator, but I think if I were to look at my whole career, my favorite memories over all would involve students. As a classroom teacher, I had more day-to-day involvement and strong relationship building with students, so I have to look back on those as the fondest memories.”
Mr. Langston says he will never forget his time at Paschal.
“I want everyone who comes through Paschal to have the same feeling when leaving as I’m having,” Mr. Langston concludes. “Paschal is a very special place and until you’re here, you’ll never know. But when you’re here, you’ll know.”
