Staff Spotlight - Mitchell Waterman

"The only thing that's important to me is my family and my students."

Mitchell Waterman doesn't hesitate when he says it, and though he’s smiling, when you look him in the eyes you know he means it. Mitchell is serious about his students. 

Spend even a few minutes with him and it becomes clear why. Mitchell has spent a lifetime investing in young people, believing in their potential, and challenging them to expect more from themselves than they thought possible.

Along the way, he's collected a few stories. More than a few.

Mention the civil rights movement, a legendary athlete, a defining moment in American history or a memorable concert, and chances are Mitchell has a story that begins with, "I was there."

"Most of that history they read about, I was there for that," he said. "I can talk, and the kids like that."

But Mitchell’s stories aren’t about Mitchell. They're about helping students write stories of their own.

Every conversation becomes an opportunity to show students that history isn't just something that happened to other people. Every life has a story worth telling, and every student has the ability to shape what comes next.

Mitchell takes his role as an accountability coach at Fairborn Digital Academy seriously. He believes in setting high expectations because he believes in the people standing in front of him.

"I take on the students who have been made to feel they’re difficult. The ones who feel nobody wants them," he said, because he sees the potential where others sometimes stop looking.

He builds trust first. Then comes responsibility. Then accountability. He pushes students to discover what they're capable of, even when they aren't convinced themselves.

"I try every day to get them to go to their limit," he said. "And past it."

That doesn't mean making life easier.

It means refusing to let students settle for less than they can become.

"When you put your word on something, your word is all you have," Mitchell tells his students. "That is your power."

He gives them his word that he will show up, support them and challenge them. In return, he asks them to keep their word to themselves.

More than anything, Mitchell hopes his students leave Fairborn Digital Academy believing in their own potential.

"I want to help students find peace in a terrible world," he said.

For him, that peace comes from knowing someone believed in you enough to show up for you, hold you accountable, challenge you and never stop expecting your best.

Mitchell has spent a lifetime collecting stories.

At Fairborn Digital Academy, he's helping students write stories they'll one day be proud to tell themselves.