All About Mr. Smith

Hello and welcome to Gateway Elementary !

As required by the Greenville County School district, I am a highly qualified teacher. I have a Bachelor’s degree in Sports Management from SUNY Cortland in Cortland, New York.  In addition to my undergraduate degree, I also have a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from The University of West Florida.  

I believe that open communication is one of the most important parts of education.  Please feel free to contact me via email (dpsmith@greenville.k12.sc.us) or by phone (355-5264).

My education career did not begin as one typically does.  All throughout college I pursued a degree in sports management and believed I would work for a professional sports organization in some capacity upon graduating college. That however was not the case, I felt a higher calling on my life to do something more meaningful and to work with kids. So in Orlando, Florida in 2011 I got my start in education as a physical education assistant.  While in that role I quickly realized education was where I was meant to be.  I pursued alternative certification to get my elementary education teaching license and got my first job in the classroom teaching 4th grade in 2012.  Over the course of the next few years I continued to grow in my love for teaching, working with kids, and I obtained my masters in educational leadership. In 2018 my wife and I moved to South Carolina and I began teaching 5th grade at East North Street Academy.  During the next few years I was given several opportunities to grow as an instructional leader in and outside of the classroom and served in administrative roles for two years. In May of 2021 my wife and I were thrilled to adopt our son Charlie and welcome him into our family.  With that major life change I decided to return to classroom and began teaching 3rd grade.  July 31, 2024 are life changed again and we welcomed into the world our second son, Micah. Additionally, at the beginning of the school year I moved back to 5th grade to accommodate increasing class sizes. 

This past year my family and I felt it was time for a change and I was blessed to interview for and accept a job to teach 4th grade ELA and Social Studies at Gateway Elementary.  I have already felt so loved and welcomed by the Gateway community!  I can't wait to see the amazing things that the school will accomplish this year!

Outside of school I love to spend time with my lovely wife and two sons. We have been married several years and have two wonderful dogs!  We enjoy spending time with family, friends, and enjoying the great outdoors.  My personal activity of choice is running. I ran my first marathon in 2018 and haven't stopped running since.  Faith is also a very important part of my life and has helped shaped me into the person that I am today. 

I am looking forward to a fantastic year!!  I hope to make your child feel welcomed, appreciated, and successful. 

Sincerely,

Mr. Smith

4th Grade Teacher 

Gateway Elementary