John Downs Professional Career:
- Currently serves as the superintendent for the Hallsville R-IV School District
- Began my career in education 28 years ago, with the most recent 25 years at Hallsville
- Teacher, mentor/instructional coach, director of C&I, assistant superintendent, superintendent
- Began facilitation of improvement efforts in other Missouri districts in 2010
- John Downs: Presenter on curriculum and instruction-related topics at conferences throughout Missouri
Personal, Hobbies, In My Spare Time, Unique Facts:
- Father of one adult son, who somehow impresses me more each day
- In addition to education, I am passionate about the arts and technology
- Enjoy composing music; attending concerts; photography; tennis, hiking, and biking; science fiction
- Grew up in northeastern Ohio and moved to central Missouri early in my career
- Served as engineer, sometimes producer, and sometimes supervisor in four recording studios
What I Love About School / The Profession of Education:
- Ensuring that every student is afforded the education necessary to enjoy success
- Developing positive relationships with students, colleagues, parents, and community members
- Observing learning and growth in both children and adults
Favorite Quote:
“We can, whenever and wherever we choose, successfully teach all children whose schooling is of interest to us. We already know more than we need in order to do this. Whether we do it must finally depend on how we feel about the fact that we haven’t so far.” — Ronald Edmonds
Favorite or Most Impactful Teacher Growing Up:
Many teachers have been a powerful force in my development as an educator and a person. An early influence was Mrs. Mary Simmons, who led the children’s choir at my church. She encouraged me to develop my passion for music and the arts.