I got the opportunity to sit down and talk to Mr. Porter, our new principal next year. I was able to ask him a few questions, which he replied to below:
What are your strengths and weaknesses?
One strength that I have is that I do things because I love people, most of what I do is because I care about the person or the people I am helping. I am not looking to become the next Steve Jobs or make a lot of money, I just want to serve people well, and
being an admin allows that. It is also rewarding to lift our culture and youth. Realism is also one of my strengths. I like to see the world the way it’s colored, not the way we assume it to be. One weakness I have is that I don’t really like policy and procedure, this is because, in every procedure or policy, there are some holes.
How do you view Project Based Learning (PBL)?
PBL is the way that people learn and grow whether they believe or not, everything you do from a little kid (such as feeling the stove) being picked for a sports team, you learn how to function and work with others. The learning process is what’s gonna push you in the next thing you do and your future. In a PBL school like this, you get your entry doc and see what you need to do, you ask yourself, “What is my job here, what am I looking forward to, and not looking forward to.” You pick people to help yourself and others (if picking a group is applicable.) The social dynamic is good. When you present the end product, even if it’s bad, you learned a lot along the way working with other people.
How long have you worked at Coppell ISD?.
I was hired 3 principals ago, and have worked in North Carolina in a PBL engineering campus. We did not call it PBL back then. I was at New Tech for 5 years (since 2020), taught AP Lang, American Literature (American Studies) taught with AP United States History teachers for 2 years and then moved to Senior English , Creative Writing, Honors English IV and became an admin intern.
How can you further better the school?
I am not a traditional principal, neither are the teachers, and their job is to help you facilitate your growth. If you go off on a path learning in a less efficient manner, they are supposed to help you to get back on the right path. The administration needs to lead the school the way teachers lead students. They can use their own wisdom and understanding of PBL and make necessary changes. New Tech is very passionate about letting students lead and taking charge. Allow the learners to take charge.
There have been plenty of rumors going around of New Tech closing. How do you combat this mentality?
After the first principal left New Tech, she said that the campus is gonna shut down, so all these rumors are not new to me. Anytime you have a choice school, or a non-traditional campus, it is always on people’s mind to think, “should we keep that or remove that.” New Tech can change in many ways. We should attempt to get enrollment up, serve the community by serving more learners, and not being afraid. Our mentality should be what our building is going to be like in 2030. We should look forward to the future and longevity and trajectory of school. People just don’t know, they are misinformed, we need to let them know what we do and who we are. Everyone needs to be a champion from this school. Be proud of New Tech. We all need to motivate and inspire each other and not buy into the noise around us. “New tech is ruining CISD ” people don’t understand so they are afraid of it. Need the people in the school and community to help us and speak highly of NT and lift it up.
How do you plan to foster a sense of community and pride amongst the students and facilitators?
I am a very visible person. You can always find me in the hallways, doing work, being social, and caring about what’s going on inside and outside of the school. Trying to connect the
pieces and home life with my students so they feel trusted. I try to bring the many learners’ extracurriculars and what happens outside inside and try to connect that to a learning and academic life. The students can be able to see how I love everyone and that I live the culture that I am trying to buy them into.
How can you make New Tech more special?
In order to make New Tech unique, there needs to be some things that only we do. In terms of academics, things we do here that are not necessarily done at CHS or CHS9 expand our CTE, fine arts, ideas about collaborative teaching, teachers cooperating a lot such as teaching together like World History collaborating with the Art facilitator and helping promote the cross-curriculum way of learning. It does not have to be for every subject and class, just maybe a few per pathway.
While we are excited for this new chapter, we also want to take a moment to express our gratitude to Mr. Smith, for his dedication and leadership over the past years. Mr. Smith has been instrumental in shaping our school’s culture and fostering a supportive environment for both learners and facilitators. We wish him all the best in his future endeavors and know that he will always be a valued member of our school community. Thank you Mr. Smith!
