Eric Smith Replaces James Johnson as AP of Mathematics

Interim Acting (IA) Assistant Principal of Mathematics Eric Smith has replaced Former IAAP of Mathematics James Johnson for this school year. Smith has worked for the New York City Department of Education for the last 15 years as a mathematics teacher, an instructional coach, and an assistant principal at Brooklyn Technical High School.

Principal Eric Contreras is confident that Smith is well-qualified for his new position, since Smith has worked with another specialized high school in the past. “He is an experienced AP [...] at a large specialized high school, and very few people have the experience to actually supervise a larger department than Stuyvesant. [...] [He] jumped right in saying, ‘I want to teach Calculus.’ It’s been pretty seamless because he brings that depth of experience in a similar school,” Contreras said.

Smith explained that his passion for mathematics began when he was still a student himself. “I liked math and I was good at math, and then [I] went to college and […] had it beaten out of me. […] I had a lot of terrible professors, and I wasn’t interested [in math] anymore. As a math teacher, that’s what got me interested in math instruction,” Smith said.

He strongly believes that “regardless of where students are or where they think they are in their abilities […] [My responsibility as a teacher] was really just making sure they felt supported, that they could be successful, that someone was listening and acting in their best interests, because that was something I felt was missing for myself.”

While Smith is using his first few months at Stuyvesant to acclimate to the new environment, he and Contreras have plans to improve the school’s mathematics department, starting with the programs and course offerings. “One of our [...] goals is to think about our math offerings,” Contreras said. “Regardless of the AP, as a school, we should think about [whether we are] offering the courses that are best suited for the intellectual and professional needs of tomorrow.”

In terms of developing policies across departments and within classrooms, Contreras strives to strike a balance between “freedom of action at the teacher level with schoolwide goals because our classroom spaces are not monolithic [...] [and] because there’s such specificity in our programming. It’s important to allow teachers to have that creative space as well.”

During the first few weeks of school, Smith has been reaching out to students and faculty in order to learn more about the Stuyvesant community and administration. “The onus really falls on me to figure out what the policies are, why they are the way they are […] before [I] start entertaining ideas about changing those policies,” he said.

Ultimately, Smith’s goal is to serve the Stuyvesant community based on their needs, as Smith said, “Any school exists to serve the students that are in it. I [...] view myself as a client [...] with 3,600 bosses. [...] I kind of view the students as almost the ones in charge, [and] I’m figuring out how to make it work for them.” He strives to be accessible to all students and faculty members. “I’m in 402. Come say hi. I’m nice, I promise,” Smith said.

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Note to Layout: This part should be part of the article, but in a gray box (a breakout). It’s extra information relevant to the article.

What is the C30 Process?

The New York City Department of Education (NYC DOE)’s C30 process is used to screen, select, and evaluate principals and assistant rincipals of public schools. According to Contreras, “It’s a democratic process [...] that involves everyone’s voice, but it is a contractual process.”

There is a thorough interview and recommendation process that takes place with administrative and community members at Stuyvesant in order to make sure that all appointed officials are both qualified for their positions and fit in well with the school community.