Joshua Mays is a new Business Education teacher at Kennard-Dale High School. He is settling into his new position, but he took an unexpected path to get there.

As a student, Mays didn’t plan on being a teacher. He wanted to pursue his family’s restaurant business, which he had worked at since he was 11. Mays worked there until a little after his college graduation, when he found a passion for sports – specifically football. 

Mays wanted to be a coach, but he couldn’t coach and run a restaurant simultaneously, so he took a path toward sports management. The problem was that there were not many jobs in that specific field. That was when Mays decided to be a paraprofessional at Dallastown.

Dallastown High School is where Mays’ passion for teaching came to be. Mays has been in education since 2016, but as a classroom teacher, this year will be his third. He started as a school security guard and did that for two years, then moved on to student teaching and substitute teaching.

When asked why he came to Fawn Grove, Mays replied, “Well, I needed a job, so I was kind of applying and interviewing everywhere. And when Kennard-Dale came open, I really liked the drive from my house, and it’s definitely a slower environment than what I’m used to.”

As a high school student, Mays felt as if he blended in with everyone else. Even though Mays was not a “troublemaker,” he remembers how students were when he was in high school and uses that to his advantage. Even sometimes when kids think they got away with something, they soon find out that it didn’t get past Mays. So, watch out, sneaky kids of Kennard-Dale, Mays has his eyes on you! 

When Mays was asked if he would like it here, he replied, “It is an adjustment, and it’s learning a new culture. However, I still kind of feel like an outsider because I still coach at Dallastown, but I do like it here. It’s different; there’s a different vibe here, and the periods are shorter than in Dallastown. I like it! It’s a change and I’m adjusting, and I’m hoping I grow more appreciative of the environment as I’m here longer.” 

When Mays was asked why he teaches Business Education, he said, “Well, I did have a job in our family restaurant business community. And I knew that was my backbone – that experience of being in a business and knowing the insides and outs of being in a small business. I always knew I had that backbone. But really what made me think ‘I want to teach this’ was my sports management classes with a lot of projects and things, like skills that you applied to actually work a sports game. I always wanted to take that and somehow bring a version of it to a high school setting. That kind of has been my dream and not many people have ever done it in a high school setting, so that’s kind of what brought me in and kept me in it; I want to see if I can make this work.”

But the classroom isn’t everything to Mays. When he was asked what he liked to do outside of school, he said, “Well I am a football coach, so when I hear 2:55, I’m down at Dallastown coaching until about 7:00. That’s most of my days during the weekdays. During the weekend, I like to go out to places with my girlfriend; I love to explore new places and communities and try new things – like different restaurants and any new activities out of my comfort zone.” 

At home, Mays lives with his German Shepherd named Dixie. He also lives with his 2 brothers, an identical twin, and a younger brother. While Mays doesn’t get to see them often because of their busy schedules, Mays and his younger brother, Jona, coach football together while his twin is an officer at a social club. Mays and his brothers get together with the family on Sundays for dinner to stay in touch; they also love to watch football games together when they can.

Even if you don’t have Mays as a teacher, make sure you show him a warm welcome to our school and our “Ramily.”