Conversations with James Mitchell

Today we’d like to introduce you to James Mitchell.

Hi James, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I had spent a brief time working in reality TV. I found the whole enterprise kind of empty and soul-sucking. I had an unmistakable feeling that I had to do something better, possibly more noble with my life. Luckily for me, I had already slaved away on a comedically long undergrad career before attending film school.. While working on and off in film I made money on the side by tutoring high school seniors and college students in writing research papers.

I had a moment when I decided I could probably do more good by working with students at an earlier stage of their education. Loss mitigation at a younger age.

I decided to become a teacher. Years later I am a school leader.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There are no smooth roads in education. All such paths are fraught with obstacles and obstructions that must be negotiated and worn away. They are manifold and impossible to explain in any kind of detail for the sake of brevity. I can say this past year, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, has been a hell of a time to work in education and manage a school.

Challenges range from coaxing kindergarteners into keeping their masks on, to dealing with the frayed social and emotional health of students, parents, and staff. The pandemic has been hard on pretty much everyone. Its effects made a tremendous impact on schooling.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am the school leader, or Principal of Self Development Academy Glendale. I manage the school in all of its varying areas. I also teach a writing and grammar class, as well as a History and Logic and critical thinking course. I am always most proud of the impact I have on the lives and development of my students. It would be challenging to find a profession where one could make a greater positive impact while carrying out the duties of their profession. I am known for my knowledge base. I spent a considerable portion of my life studying History, from antiquity to modernity. I always strive to pass the fruit of my education to my students. I’m constantly thinking about what I wish I would have been taught while in middle school. I pass that along whenever I can.

My passion for History and Philosophy sets me apart from other school administrators I feel. I want my students to have the most enriched and comprehensive education possible.

Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
Phoenix is an interesting place. I have much ambivalence toward it. I was born here and spent the bulk of my life living in the valley. I both love and loathe the changes the city has gone through since I started paying attention. Gentrification of the downtown phoenix and Tempe areas has been a mixed bag. While we have shiny, often newfangled new edifices to gaze upon, much has been lost in the process of attaining them. I am in love with the Sonoran desert. Its beauty is astounding to me on most days. I love to hike the mountains that encircle my valley. I love the cultural fusion that washes over the towns and cities of the valley.

While cliché I’m sure, I have begun to tire of the summers here. The monsoons have been duds as of late, ushering in nothing but irksome humidity and dust.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rememberancy/#

Image Credits
mage_6483441 (2) and 5 by Kate Heffernan pictures 13 and 14 by Jenna Brammer