Javier Smith is the Administrative Assistant at Mayberry Elementary School who brings kindness and a love for service to his job every day. He works tirelessly to solve problems and find answers for Mayberry’s teachers, staff, students and families.
“I can honestly say the school does not function properly without him,” said Mayberry Principal Angela Hewins. “From the moment I started at Mayberry, he has been like my rock. He knows the ins and outs of the school like the back of his hand.”
Hewins says in addition to his knowledge of the school, his relationships with the teachers, staff, students and families make him a special part of the Mayberry community
“He comes to work every day with this smile on his face and a positive attitude that just rubs off on people. He has the ability to calm parents down, talk to them, make them feel heard and validated, and then he gets all of the answers, and he won't stop until he helps them,” Hewins said. “He truly loves the students and the families at Mayberry. He would not hesitate to do anything for anyone.”
Learn more about Javier Smith in the Q&A below.
What brought you to your role as Mayberry’s administrative assistant?
Smith: I've been in the role a couple years, and it's been a blast. I started as a tutor, and I would cover for the secretary when she was at her lunch because I speak Spanish, so we thought it would be a nice addition to have. And I just really liked the role. I knew that there was going to definitely be more to the role than just being the receptionist, but, of course, I was nowhere near ready and prepared for how much there was to the role. It was challenging at first to get used to all of the things that you need to keep track of, but I've been blessed to be working with a really great team that are very supportive. It’s a great place to work.
What does a typical day look like for you at Mayberry’s main office?
Smith: So a typical day is dealing with attendance, scheduling for the principal, you know, coverage, making sure just the day to day things like the printer and everything is working fine for the teachers. But I also like to try to think of our role, because it’s myself and Ms. Silva [Mayberry’s Family Support Specialist], that we're there just to support in any way. So anything that the principal needs, anything that the teachers need, we are that resource that they can say, “I don't know who can help me with this.” Well, that's where we can step in. We can find out.
In addition to working closely with the staff, you also interact daily with parents and families. What do you enjoy about that aspect of the job?
Smith: That's probably one of my favorite parts of it because it really brings in the feeling of service. For many of these families we’re kind of their only resource, so we try to be engaging, supportive, and to just always be there for them. Part of that is being friendly and being happy and bringing a little joy. You know, everybody lives really tough lives. Everybody's working hard. And it's nice to be able to step into a place where it feels safe, it feels welcoming, and that's what we try to have here for families.
How do you work to bring that high level of service to work every day?
Smith: I think that it comes down to a lot of the values that were instilled from my parents, you know, the feeling of service, of always being kind and positive. And the truth is that I truly enjoy it. It's not like I'm acting or pretending. I really enjoy seeing families and seeing the kids and everything, so I think it feels natural to me.
It's a very rewarding job. The look in someone's face when they realize that something that they've really worried about, something that stressed them out, that now it's no longer a problem, and you see the relief on their face, that to me is a nice feeling.
What’s your favorite thing about your job?
Smith: I would say my favorite thing about my job is the team that I work with and the students that I serve. At first I was worried that working in this position, I wouldn't interact with the kids as much, and I was going to be a little bit sad. But the truth is that with time, you get to know all the kids and all the personalities and there are some very intelligent, inquisitive students, always asking the most interesting questions. Our kids are awesome.