Zoe G

Debate students work diligently in class

Dr. Dwight Smith has been teaching for 23 years starting at Humble High School in 2000 and earned a doctorate in education in May of this year. His drive to rewrite the Court System curriculum and  to be the best led him to expand to Summer Creek High School in 2009 and create the first courtroom classroom. His curriculum and style of teaching are recognized throughout Humble ISD high schools.

Teacher of the year for the 21-22 school year, Smith uses a creative approach to teaching his students. He calls it a student-run class where he allows students’ ideas and opinions to be heard in an educational and validating environment. He forces his students to think for themselves, take risks and shows them that there are no wrong answers to interrogation while enforcing discipline.

 “I want to see kids be successful, I want to hear their opinion and their critical thinking.” Smith said. 

Cognitive thinking is a big part of the court systems class. Smith presents his students with interviews and looks at cases involving people like Chris Watts and the Gwinnett brothers. He notices small, intricate details in the way these suspects respond, act, and body language only the most efficient investigators could detect. In the case of Chris Watts, a convicted murderer, Smith was eager to call out the flaws of the convict’s attitude, terms he used in referring to the victim, his emotionless demeanor, and even pointed out a barely noticeable sign of a struggle on Mr. Watt’s neck. Smith is very proud of his work. 

 “When everyone wants to be in this class, there’s a reason for that,” he said. 

 Their current assignments now focus on recreating crime scenes, court cases and creating newscasts in the form of podcasts, posters, and videos where they will later talk about the steps taken in an appeals process. Smith says giving the students the freedom to learn how they please allows their thoughts and creativity to follow. He enjoys the creativity, the performance and the effort that his kids put forth into his class. The real-world experiences such as self-sufficiency and outside-of-the-box thinking are something that Smith really likes to incorporate so his students are equipped after high school. 

Crime never stops. In the Criminal Justice course, students will be introduced to a different kind of thinking and be trained for independence. Smith’s commitment to encouraging independent thinking, risk-taking, and the belief that there are no wrong answers to thoughtful questioning demonstrates his dedication to his students’ growth and success. His enthusiasm for his work and the evident eagerness of his students to be part of his class reflect the impact he has on their education.

 “Be ready to learn, be ready to be educated the right way, and be ready to think outside of the box. This is an amazing program taught by amazing people. You’re gonna come out of this program ready for the real world and I don’t gotta say more than that,” Smith said. 

 His unwavering dedication to their success and the innovative teaching methods he employs make him a truly exceptional educator.