A Prolific Writer Connecting With Words

Profile: JARED SMITH

“Sharing is caring” in the eyes of Jared Smith, superintendent of South Tama County School District in central Iowa, about 50 miles west of Cedar Rapids. A prolific blogger, podcaster and newly published book author, Smith has found if he has the time to read and learn about new things, he is happy to summarize key points for other education leaders who might not have the same opportunity.

“I think we get into education because we want to teach others,” Smith says. “The blog, the podcast, the book are ways to maybe scratch that itch of teaching without actually being in the classroom.”

The topics of his blog posts, which appear at least once per week, and essays in Learning Curve: Lessons Learned on Leadership, Education, and Personal Growth, published in August, range from teacher recruitment ideas to the power of positive feedback. 

Smith, who is in the midst of his fourth year as a superintendent, also is not reluctant to tackle more taboo issues such as underperforming employees and making hiring mistakes.

“It’s not always highlights,” Smith says. “You’ve got to talk about some of those growing pains that you go through.”

Personal growth is a common thread running through Smith’s writing, so much so that he doesn’t shy away from discussing personal experiences. These stories often become his most widely accessed. A recent post titled “What I Learned About Divorce” has garnered more than 1,700 views since early summer.

“I’ve had a lot of great feedback about some of the more personal posts,” Smith says. “We’re going through difficult things with mental health, divorce or whatever it is, so I want to say, ‘Hey, you’re not alone. We’re all struggling through this. I don’t have it all figured out and I’ve messed up a lot, but here are some things that have helped me along the way.’”

The sharing nature that Smith exhibits in his online presence translates to his day-to-day work in various ways. The birthdays of every one of the district’s 1,600 students and 250 staff members are celebrated with a birthday card or e-mail from the superintendent. Additionally, if Smith hears from a building administrator that a teacher is doing something exceptionally well, that teacher soon gets a personal greeting too.

“Jared leads by example and fuels staff with encouragement to pursue their next step in their career,” says Shauna Smith (no relation), director of instruction at nearby Marshalltown Community School District who formerly worked as curriculum director at South Tama. “He taught me to invest in the people I work with to really feel connected and in tune with current progress toward our goals.”

Although Smith admittedly struggles as superintendent to accept constructive criticism (a subject he addressed in School Administrator’s December 2020 issue), he still encourages members of his district and community to share their thoughts with him. Last year, he made a point to meet with every staff member to get feedback during the COVID-19 pandemic and came away with a list of 40 things to do differently.

“When employees know that their voice and opinion is being heard and changes are made because of the feedback they’ve given, they’re that much more engaged in the organization,” Smith says. “All of our staff — the food service, the custodians, the bus drivers — they need to know that their voices are being heard and we are actively trying to make their experience as an employee in this district better.”