About Me
Greetings!! My name is Zyon Smiley. I am a veteran of the United States Air Force, serving about three years active duty in the 1990's as a Public Affairs Officer and Logistics Officer. This new school year begins my 26th year in education. I spent eighteen years in Georgia as a high school educator before retiring and coming to South Carolina. Now, I am in my eighth year teaching high school here in the Palmetto State. Over the course of my career, I gained valuable experience teaching the following social studies courses: American Government, AP Economics, Civics, Current Issues, Economics, Psychology, Sociology, U.S. History, World Geography, World History, and Honors World Geography.
Concerning my educational background, I earned a Master's degree in History from American Military University (AMU) and a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Communications from Brigham Young University (BYU). In addition, I earned a Social Studies Teaching Certificate, with an emphasis in broad-field social sciences, from a joint program at Armstrong Atlantic State University (now Georgia Southern University-- Savannah campus) and Savannah State University. As a certified teacher, I had the great fortune to participate in some wonderful Professional Development institutes and seminars that positively effected my classroom instruction. For example, I attended a national A.V.I.D. conference back in July 2018 in Orlando, Florida. Also during the month of July 2018, I was awarded a scholarship to study at the Colonial Williamsburg Teacher Institute in Williamsburg, Virginia. During this week long summer program, I was able to observe and participate in early American history firsthand. I've also attended Georgia Tech's Teacher S.T.E.M. Institute during July 2016, and Georgia Southern University's Ed Camp Teacher Institute during the spring of 2015.
Outside of the classroom, I am an author and published poet. I have written and published three books of poetry. These books are titled as follows: Thoughts of a Poet, Feelings of a Poet, and Expressions of a Poet. I was also a circulation manager and freelance journalist for The Savannah Tribune nearly twenty years. I have traveled to 48 of the 50 states and several nations beyond our nations borders, such as the Bahamas, Canada, and China. In addition, I have traveled to multiple nations in the Caribbean region of the Americas.
As always, I am excited to work with our young people. They are the future leaders of our great nation, and as a teacher, I am fortunate to touch the future. I love sharing my passion for history and the social sciences to our youth. Ultimately, my hope is that all students will develop a life long love of learning and that they will use their knowledge to serve our community and the world.
Please feel free to contact me by email at [email protected] if you have any comments, concerns, or questions. Thank you, and I look forward to working with your student during the 2023-24 school year. Best wishes to all for a successful school year!
