“Focus on the things you have control over,” advised Scott Benson. “There is a lot of stuff in your life that you cannot control. It may seem unfair, but the things that we don’t have control over is where we tend to focus a lot of our energy, and that’s not helpful. Putting all your energy on those things is not going to have a positive effect. You can’t control where you were born, who you were born to, what others say about you, or how others treat you. Focusing on what you do have control over is going to help you out more in the long run. What you do have control over is your attitude, your work ethic, how you respond to different situations, your decisions, and stuff like that. It’s worth putting your effort and energy towards all that.”
Scott Benson does his best each day to be a role model for those around him and focus on the things he can control.
He has the opportunity each day to be an example because of the career he chose to go into: education. Unlike what most people think when they hear about a man in education, his decision wasn’t made with a desire to be a coach. Instead, he possesses a genuine love for the subject and being able to teach and make a positive difference for kids.
“Initially, I wanted to teach just because of my love for science,” proclaimed Scott. “When I started looking for science careers, teaching sciences was one of the things that popped up. I love working with kids, so I decided I wanted to teach science. I did some coaching as well, but in the end, working with kids and teaching science is what I loved. I didn’t coach for very long. That just wasn’t where my passion was. It was just my love of science that drove me to into teaching. Then, I found out that I really enjoy working with the kids and seeing the growth and watching a kid over a nine month period be able to do things that they couldn’t originally do when you got them. It’s just gratifying and rewarding.”
As soon as he graduated from college, he was able to find a job in Quitman School District and fell in love with the district and the community.
“I’m not originally from here. I’m from Meridian and graduated from Clarkdale,” explained Scott. “I graduated from Mississippi State University and interviewed with Dr. Dace at the junior high. She hired me right out of college, and I spent 12 or 13 years there. I hadn’t even been to Quitman before coming for my interview here. When I first told my wife I was taking the job here, she wasn’t really big on the idea of moving here. Like me, she had never been to Quitman before, but she came with me anyway. She loves it here, too. She is at the lower now and doesn’t want to be anywhere else. She followed me here, and we both fell in love with the area. By my second year in the classroom, we bought a house here and decided this is where we wanted to be. We hadn’t looked anywhere else. We just fit in with the community, and all of our friends are here now. Everybody is welcoming, and our son loves it here.”
While he was at the junior high, he primarily taught sixth or eighth grade science. It was while he was teaching at the junior high that he decided to obtain his master’s degree in administration; however, he loved his job in the classroom and decided to continue teaching instead of rushing into an administrative position. Because of that, he was able to wait and take an administrative position that he was comfortable with and felt called to do.
“I got my master’s degree in 2014, but I stayed in the classroom for probably another eight years after that,” informed Scott. “When I got my master’s, I didn’t necessarily want to get an administrative job immediately. I was just kind of waiting for something to open. I was happy doing what I was doing and just wanted to move when it was a good situation for me. I wasn’t just so ready to get out of the classroom that I was going to take the first thing that opened. If I’d been unhappy, I might would have pushed sooner, but it was probably 2022 before I decided to move. I had worked with Mrs. Schrimpshire since she was my assistant principal at the junior high, so I knew how she would be as an administrator. When the facilitator position opened here at the upper elementary, I applied. If that hadn’t happened, I might still be in a classroom. I learned a ton from Mrs. Schrimpshire and Mrs. Chapman, and when Mrs. Chapman went to the junior high, I had the opportunity to apply for this position as the assistant principal at the upper elementary. I applied, and it just kind of worked out.”
Initially, he wasn’t completely sure how he would handle working with the younger age group, but he discovered that this is the perfect age range for him.
“My license is in elementary education, which I kind of regretted once I got in an elementary classroom doing my student teaching in second grade classrooms,” declared Scott. “I didn’t know if I could teach it, but fortunately with my degree I had endorsements to teach science and social studies up through twelfth grade. I started off teaching sixth grade and the junior high and then taught eighth grade for a long time. That was the age group I fell in with. I wasn’t sure about coming here to the upper, even though we do have fifth graders. We have third, fourth, and fifth here, and I wasn’t sure how I would enjoy working with this age group. I loved it. I think this is the perfect age to work with. They’re old enough where they have some independence and carry on a conversation. They have all these interests, but they aren’t teenagers yet. I think this is a sweet spot. I really do like working with this age group.”
Naturally, it’s different working in an administrative position as opposed to being in the classroom.
“It’s a lot different because the things you have to do are all over the place,” explained Scott. “Before, I was in my classroom teaching my lesson for the day to each class. Now, every day I come into it not knowing exactly what I’m going to be doing. There are a lot more surprises. It isn’t as structured as being in a classroom.”
One of the things he loves the most about his job is how it gives him the opportunity to work with the kids and help them grow as a person instead of just academically.
“In this role, I have an opportunity to build a relationship with certain kids, and we get to work on making improvements in areas that they’re having issues with,” proclaimed Scott. “I can do that for three years: third, fourth, and fifth grades. I’ll see a kid start in third grade and can see the amount of growth they have. I’m not doing much with the academic part, but it’s more working with behavior by mentoring them. When they first get here in third grade, they’re a lot like the lower; they’re still more the babies of the school. Then, the fifth graders are more like you see at the junior high. There’s a big change from third to fifth grade just because the kids are growing and maturing so much. Seeing that growth and development and being able to mentor them from third to fifth and knowing that they’re going to the junior high better off and more prepared than when they got here is the most rewarding part. The students I usually end up working with are the ones who need that mentorship and have those behaviors that they’re still trying to figure out how to control. This age group is still trying to figure out who they are, and with a little bit of guidance, you can really push them in the right direction.”
Although he stays busy with his job, there are things that he enjoys doing in his free time. He primarily enjoys being able to spend as much time as possible with his family.
“My hobbies are pretty much whatever my son is interested in at this point,” expressed Scott. “I’m coaching his baseball team, because that’s what he wants to do right now. He mainly wants to do sports for the most part. My son is active in sports and is trying everything, so I’m out there with him. What little bit of extra time I have is devoted to chasing him around and doing whatever it is that he’s wanting to pursue. I’m doing whatever he wants to do in the afternoon, and with him and work, it’s enough. That’s what I want to do.”
With each day that passes, he plans to continue to make a difference in countless lives by working with kids at the school and to continue to spend as much time as he can with his son.
