Name: Lisa Paz-Mason

Position: Instructional coordinator at Eastside School

Experience: Started teaching in 1989 at Irving College School, teaching grades 5-8 for 11 years. Taught 3rd and 5th grade at Hickory Creek Elementary for 11 years. 

She became the instructional coordinator at Eastside for two years, then went to Dibrell for two years as principal where she left the school with a 5 rating, and returned to Eastside as the instructional coordinator and has remained for the past six years. 

Paz-Mason said, “I love all the communities I worked at from Irving College, Hickory Creek, Dibrell and now Eastside.”

Fun Fact: Mrs. Paz-Mason has coached basketball, softball, soccer and she conducted swimming lessons with the Red Cross.

Q: What does an instructional coordinator do?

A: She said there’s “a lot of multi-tasking” that goes into assisting the principal, developing curriculum, conducting testing, and more.

Q: When did you know you’d be a teacher?

A: She went to Tennessee Tech to be a nutritionist, but took a year off. During that year, she worked under Jeff Golden at the City Bank and thought, “Do I want to work year-round, or do I want my summers off?” Both of her parents were also teachers which is also why she decided to become one and she still appreciates the summer break.

Q: What’s the craziest thing to happen in your classroom?

A: “Nothing in my classroom,” Lisa said. ”I ran a tight ship.” 

She did witness some crazy things in other classrooms, but those are confidential. She said, “You know what’s crazy is when your eighth-grade students from Irving College have grandkids before you have any.”

Q:  What celebrity do you feel like now?

A: “Mickey Mouse, I’m going to tell you why. He never ages. I feel like I could be an educator forever. Mickey has been here forever, and I don’t want to retire.”

Q:  What’s something people may not know about you?

A: “I can sew like you would never believe.” 

She said she’s made many quilts and loves crafting and sewing.

Q: What’s the hardest job? Teacher, principal, or instructional coordinator?

A: “Teaching. A teacher wears many hats. A teacher has to be a mom, a dad, disciplinarian, an educator, and a moral advisor. Teachers have a huge responsibility, and that’s why they need a raise.” 

She didn’t discredit principals or instructional coordinators, but teachers are on the front lines with the kids all day, sometimes more than the parents.

Paz-Mason said, “If they don’t love their kids, they shouldn’t be an educator.”

Final Thoughts: “In my 32 years of being in education, I would never dream we would be in a pandemic. Every day we are in uncharted waters.”