Mr. Walter James has always had a passion for education. He has traveled up and down the Americas and obtained different educational positions throughout his career. This year, he made his way to Guilford.

  “I have always worked in education,” said Mr. James. “In the past, I have been an English teacher in Colombia, South America, a Spanish teacher, assistant principal, and principal in Southern California, an ESL/Bilingual administrator in Madison, WI, and now I have made my way back to the classroom at Guilford.”

   When asked what he feels has been the most positive thing about Guilford he has seen this year, he felt like staff and students have been very welcoming and helpful.

   “Definitely meeting so many new staff members and students. Everyone has been very welcoming and helpful. I love the diversity in the school community.” said Mr. James

   Of course, change comes with its challenges. Mr. James felt like learning the new school system was the biggest challenge for him.

   “My greatest challenge at Guilford is learning everything there is to know about the new school system that I am in,” said Mr. James. “Although every school district is different, and it takes a while to learn how to do everything in a big new place, like grading, filling out forms, where to go and when, learning all the new names of the people I meet.” 

   Mr. James also felt like the number of staff and students at Guilford was surprising (which is actually shared by many new staff this year).

   “The number of staff and students that are all in this building!” stated Mr. James. “And the pace of the day is fast, so I haven’t met all the people I would like to meet.” 

   Finally, when asked about some things Mr. James does outside of school, he is very active in playing Hockey, Golf, and currently, Pickleball.

   “I played hockey and golf at the collegiate level. Right now I am a total pickleball fanatic. I love everything about the game and especially how play is organized. I can easily play three hours of pickleball a day, 3-5 times per week and never get bored or tired of it,” said Mr. James. “I love the non-stop action and very competitive nature of the sport.”

   We are excited that Mr. James is with us this year!