There’s a new face at Breckinridge Elementary School. Wyatt Turner took over for Debra Deitrich as the new principal last December. As the second half of the 2020-21 school year begins, Turner looks forward to “instilling a love for learning and school.”
He’s the son of a first grade teacher, which Turner explained is where his passion for teaching began. “In high school, I had the chance to work with an elementary school through a program the high school offered,” Turner explained. “I was in a first grade classroom with a male teacher who was paralyzed from the waist down, and the way he conducted his classroom was amazing. The way he connected with his students was out of this world. From that moment, I realized that teaching was the direction I wanted to go.”
Turner got his Bachelor’s in Education at Radford University. He taught kindergarten, fourth, and fifth grade classes in Roanoke City to better understand elementary education. After teaching a few years, he pursued his Master’s Degree in Administration.
Turner served as an administrator for three years at Fairview Elementary and then moved on to Botetourt County Public Schools. He led the Instructional Technology Resource Tteacher overseeing the department. “I realized during that time that it was great to give back to my family, but I missed the students,” Turner said. “The reason I got into education was to be with the students.”
Following that realization, Turner took on the role of assistant principal at Colonial Elementary during the 2019-20 school year that ultimately led him to become the new principal at Breckinridge. “For me, being a principal allows me to connect to more students, more staff members, and the community,” Turner added.
In the time Turner’s spent at Breckinridge, he’s taken the time to build relationships with his faculty and staff. He’s also learning the differences in the jump from assistant principal to principal.
“I want to make sure that while I’m taking in all this new information, I am continuing to get to know everyone because that’s where you’re the most success comes from,” Turner noted. “This year has been challenging due to the constant change and restrictions. I’m coming into it with the mindset that every day is going to be different, to be ready to be flexible, and to be ready to adjust at any moment. Our staff has done an excellent job with that.”
Turner is a big believer in continuing traditions. He’s continuing to learn Breckinridge Elementary School’s culture with each day he spends with the students and the staff. Turner wants to make sure he keeps the tradition alive, additionally offering his ideas and philosophies to add another dynamic to the core of Breckinridge.
Some of his interests outside of education include golfing and fishing. Most importantly, he loves spending time outdoors with his wife and two children, ages 4 and 6, riding bicycles or joining them in sports-related activities. “Family is number one,” Turner added. “When I came to Breckinridge and had my first faculty meeting, the first thing I told the staff was that my family and their family comes first.”
