The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

DAYTON – Fruitland, Idaho, teacher Paul Shaber will join the Dayton School District team as middle school/high school principal in July.

"This is a great opportunity for me and for my family," Shaber said in an interview with The Times last week. "I'm looking at it as a chance to go make something of myself."

Shaber's wife, Angelina, currently teaches special education in Fruitland but plans to return to school and care for the couple's four children, ages 7, 5, 3 and 1.

Shaber has taught math and science at Fruitland High School for 13 years. He completed his Master's in Educational Administration through the University of Idaho last May. He has not previously held the title of principal, but he worked last year as administrative intern to the Fruitland High School principal and has continued to assist with administrative duties in anticipation of finding a job as principal in another district.

Q&A with Paul Shaber:

Shaber teaches math and science at Fruitland High School, Idaho. Why did you decide to teach math and science?

I have enjoyed science since grade school, when I decided that I should be the first astronaut on Mars. That did not work out unfortunately, as I am 6'4" and therefore 2" over the height limit. (There are other reasons I'm not an astronaut, but that is the one I like to reference.) A high school physics teacher changed my perspective of the universe, and I have been hooked ever since. I decided to add the math in college to be more marketable as a teacher.

Where did you grow up? Go to high school? College?

Although I was born in Pasco, I grew up mostly in Idaho Falls, Idaho. My dad worked at Hanford, and we moved when I was in first grade so he could take a job at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory. I attended a large (1,400 students) Skyline High School there and then attended the University of Idaho, Moscow.

What is your experience with rural communities?

After graduating college, I went looking for a job and landed in Fruitland, Idaho. Fruitland is just about the same size as Dayton, and I have been living and working there for the last 13 years. During this time I decided that a small town is much better in many ways for raising children. Since I have four kids all under the age of 8, this is one of the strongest priorities in my life right now.

Drugs and peer violence/bullying are common issues in Dayton and elsewhere. Describe your philosophy when confronting these problems.

My focus will be to address both the issue as it stands and the root problem simultaneously. Drugs: Addressing a drug problem requires a close partnership with the local police force. In my experience, students involved with drugs are already unconcerned with school-level consequences and need something stronger. Meanwhile, we need to ask why students are going to drugs in the first place? The answer often comes back as boredom, and in a small town this is a challenge. There are, however, many things the community can do as a unit to ensure that students are occupied, including sports, extracurricular activities and community events. Bullying: Addressing this needs a three-pronged approach of consequences for bullies, a way for students to report incidences anonymously, and an education component to help students understand the line between "just playing around" and bullying as well as remove the idea that there is a "winner" and a "loser" when people fight. Everyone loses when people fight.

Why do you want to be a principal?

This is a difficult question because I really love teaching. At the end of the day, I will still have the opportunity to teach, but at the same time I will be involved with education at many levels and I will have the opportunity to create positive effects in all of them. I honestly believe that education is the strongest form of social justice, and I want to do my part to make the world a better place.

What are your hobbies and interests?

I quite like running and enjoy participating in races like Bloomsday or shorter 5Ks. I immensely enjoy music and play the guitar in addition to being a recording engineer/producer. I tend to like most anything active, and once my family is old enough I plan to return to active camping/hiking/backpacking. I also enjoy comedy, action and science fiction books and movies.

What is your current favorite book?

The Martian by Andy Weir (careful, it has strong language).

What is your current favorite movie?

Not sure, probably The Avengers.

Your favorite song?

No favorite song but favorite band is a tie between Led Zeppelin and the Foo Fighters.

Favorite TV show?

Tie between The Flash and Chuck.

What was your favorite subject in high school?

Physics!

Do you or did you play sports?

I played football; I was a defensive tackle, but quite uncoordinated. I also threw discus and shot put.

One other issue Dayton is facing currently is lack of involvement in school sports. The board just had to cancel boys' baseball because only 8 boys signed up, and half are 8th graders. What role could you play in boosting participation? What can be done?

I have to honestly tell you that I don't know on this one. In order to address the issue I will first need to understand the issue, and that will require quite a bit of time with the students and possibly the staff. Ask me again next January!

Finally, several community members and agencies have discussed starting a grassroots afterschool program for K-12, where high schoolers could be involved as mentors and helpers. What is your thought about this?

This sounds like a very positive community outreach, and I like the idea. Many students have nothing to go home to after school but an empty house, and we could provide another option.