Staff Spotlight - Dirk Webb

Every summer, while most educators are preparing for a new school year, Dirk Webb heads west.

In the mountains of Montana, he joins wildfire crews battling blazes across rugged terrain, helping protect communities and natural resources from fires that threaten to spread out of control. It is demanding work that requires teamwork, patience, quick thinking and a willingness to show up when things get difficult.

In some ways, Dirk says, it is not all that different from what he does the rest of the year at Fairborn Digital Academy.

As an accountability coach and intervention specialist, Dirk spends his days helping students navigate challenges, overcome obstacles, and find a path forward. Sometimes that means helping put out a fire. Other times, it means helping a student discover a spark they did not realize was there.

"Every student is different," Dirk said. "Some need you to push. Some need you to step back. You have to figure out what works for each individual person."

Before joining FDA two years ago, Dirk spent years teaching in elementary schools. When the pandemic pushed education online, everything changed. After COVID, he transitioned to a junior high setting but found himself feeling burned out by the traditional system.

At FDA, he found something different.

He found the opportunity to connect with students one-on-one, to understand who they are as people, and to help them build a future that makes sense for them.

"It's refreshing," he said. "You get to know the students. You get to understand what motivates them."

That relationship-building is one of Dirk's favorite parts of the job. He enjoys getting curious about students' interests, goals, and experiences. He wants them to know they are seen as people first, not just names on a roster or numbers in a gradebook.

That personalized approach often means throwing out a one-size-fits-all playbook.

Dirk remembers one student who threatened to quit.

Instead of launching into a lecture or trying to convince her otherwise, he simply listened.

"Okay," he told her.

The response caught her off guard. She had expected an argument. Instead, the conversation shifted. Without pressure or confrontation, she found her own motivation to keep moving forward.

Dirk says one of the most rewarding parts of his work is watching students begin to recognize their own potential. The breakthrough moments are not always dramatic. Sometimes they happen quietly, when a student starts taking ownership of their future or begins to see themselves differently than they did before.

"They start to realize what they're capable of," he said.

Those moments remind him why he chose this path in the first place.

Whether he is helping fight fires in Montana or helping students navigate challenges closer to home, Dirk's work is ultimately about the same thing: showing up, staying steady, and helping people move toward something better.

At Fairborn Digital Academy, that often means helping students discover their own spark worth protecting.