Corey Wilson
Age: 36
City of residence: Saint Marys
Current title: Principal - David L. Rainer Elementary
Place of business: Camden County Schools
Professional responsibilities: Safety of all students and staff; Adherence to state, local, and federal policies; Creating action plans/goals for the school; In charge of all personnel; Providing professional learning; Assessments; Schedules; Hiring; Etc..
Accomplishments/Honors: My greatest accomplishment in life is being a husband and father. I have had many goals and responsibilities throughout my life, but my family will always be my first priority and what I am most proud of.
Community Involvement: Former Camden County High School football and baseball assistant coach; Former CCHS head girls golf coach.
Why did you go into your particular field? My dad and stepmom were educators, but I thought I wanted to do something different once I was in high school. I thought I wanted to be a lawyer. However, my senior year of high school I was part of a peer leadership class. The group did many projects and activities throughout the community. One assignment that I had was to work at a school for a semester. I was placed at a local middle school to help, and I had the opportunity to work in a mathematics classroom that served struggling learners. These students would go to this class instead of another specials class during the day. The teacher would give me five students to work with, along with a skill that the students needed to learn. Working with these students was the most rewarding thing that I did while participating in peer leadership, and it eventually set me on my path into education. I changed what I wanted to study in college and the rest is history.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? My dad was a high school football coach. I thought that was the coolest thing in the world and wanted to be a coach just like him when I was young. During the summers I would attend practices with my dad, and I was a ball boy at the games on Friday night. I am fortunate that along with becoming an educator that I was also able to coach as many years as I did.
What was your first job? I worked for a business that built cash wraps, cabinets, kiosks, etc. This was such a rewarding job because you had to be meticulous with your preparation and procedure of constructing the final product. Once completed you were able to see the final product in place throughout the community. We had projects that would end up in malls, offices, and even the Georgia Aquarium. It gave me extreme pride going into the aquarium for the first time and seeing something that I was a part of. This job taught me hard work, patience, and pride in one’s work.
What is the best advice you’ve ever received? A well-known quote resonates with me – “Do what you love, and you will never work a day in your life.” I truly feel blessed to want to be at work every day.
What’s your favorite thing about your job? One of my favorite things about my job is the time I spend with students and staff members. I love getting to know and help them in their educational journeys. My goal each day is to make their day better any way that I can. Although it is tough sometimes, I try my best to see everyone in the building each day.
What do you know now that you wish you knew when you first started your career? Starting my career, I wish I realized the impact that an educator has on a child’s outlook and perspective on so many things. Educators are so influential on much more than just the subjects they teach – they can determine whether a child likes a particular subject, sport, or school in general. How an educator reacts to various situations determines the child’s own outlook. To this day, when I catch up with former students, they will still remember something I said 10-15 years ago.
Who do you consider to be your greatest mentor and why? I would consider my father my greatest mentor. He was a great coach, a phenomenal teacher, and even better man. I knew when I went into education that if I was half the person and teacher that he was then I would make an impact. Seeing the way that he impacted others made me want to have an impact too. I was fortunate to have him as a coach and even as a teacher. It was the hardest A letter grade that I earned throughout school. He made students want to be in his classroom every day. He had a way of relating to and reaching students of all backgrounds.
When you’re not at work, what do you do to relax? To relax, I enjoy golfing and fishing with my family. I also really enjoy cooking and trying new recipes. Spending time talking or listening to music in the kitchen while I cook for my family is a cherished time in the Wilson household. It is a time to be together, act silly, and grow as a family.
What is something about you that most people don’t know? Most people would not know that I played on the 2005 Dacula High School football team that came down and played Camden in the quarterfinals for the state playoffs. That is a moment that I will never forget. Football is big up in Gwinnett County, but I had not experienced anything like that evening. The passion and pride that Camden showed in its team and community was and is unmatched in my opinion to this day. It is one of the reasons that my wife and I moved here when I first became a teacher and a coach. Since then, we have become proud members of the Camden community. This is our home, and we are proud to have raised our children here.
How do you hope to grow in your career? There are so many ways that I can grow as a leader and an educator that it is hard to pinpoint. I do know that when think that you are done growing then it is time to “hang it up”. I am one that always looks for the next way to improve. If I get to where I no longer look for that, then I am not giving my best in what I am doing.
If you couldn’t do what you’re doing now, what would you be doing? Honestly, I cannot see myself doing anything other than education. This is truly my love and passion. If I had to pick something I know that it would be in serving others in some capacity.