PROFILE | Ann Smith, Ronald McNair Elementary Guidance Counselor

The basket says it all.

It hangs on an office door at Ronald McNair Elementary School. It's not meant for decoration or to hold candy. Instead, the basket represents what its owner, guidance counselor Ann Smith, symbolizes to the school: comfort and hospitality.

 Students, staff and visitors are welcome to leave messages for Smith in the basket, and she makes sure to see everyone before the end of each school day.

Smith is retiring after 21 years at the elementary school and 33 years as an educator in the region. She is one of two people left from the original staff when McNair opened in 1990. 

Her title extends beyond counselor. She's the school's resident caregiver, actor and gardener. Yes, gardener. 

Smith, on her own accord, helps advise McNair's landscaping, said Eileen Macfarlane, the school's principal.

"She's knowledgeable about gardening and keeps us looking good outside," Macfarlane said. 

In addition, Smith does creative guidance lessons with the students, like singing songs to kindergarten classes using puppets. "The kids forget it's her hand in there and they relate to the puppet's character," Macfarlane said.

But the most rewarding part of her job, Smith says, is seeing smiles on the students' faces.

"They have such bursts of spontaneity that are so honest. I love when kids are self-empowered to solve problems," she said.

Her efforts have been unwavering for years. Former students of hers now escort their own children to school. Smith can see her teaching come full circle.

 "It's fun to see little people become adults and good citizens. Sometimes I have to look really hard to recognize them because they're 6 feet tall now instead of 3 feet," she said with a laugh. 

Besides seeing students in her office, Smith eats lunch with them and has started mentoring and peer mediation programs. Through peer mediation, students learn to work together to solve disagreements in constructive ways.

"Her real talent is her ability to understand children. She makes them feel comfortable and gives them strategies to help them solve their problems," Macfarlane said.

 That insight extends to Smith's colleagues as well, and she makes a point to check on the staff's mental health and happiness. When new families visit McNair, Smith insists on meeting and welcoming them, Macfarlane said. Although Smith's job lends itself to many positive moments, it is not without challenges.

"She's dealt with some difficult and heartbreaking situations — families who have lost everything in a fire, children who need care because their parents are sick," Macfarlane said. "But she finds resources in the community for them."

McNair fourth-grader Savannah Showman, 9, was part of Smith's "lunch bunch" group. She joined Smith and a few other students once a week to discuss what was happening in their lives.

"We would discuss about my uncle who was paralyzed in a wheelchair a couple years ago, and other kids would talk about problems at home," she said.

Savannah describes Smith as "very calm, nice and willing to help when someone's sad." Her mother, Kim Showman, said she thought Smith's patience and understanding has made her an asset to McNair. When Savannah was struggling with her uncle's paralysis, it was Smith who called Showman to let her know how her daughter was handling the situation.

"That was the first time staff had called me. I appreciated that and including Savannah in the lunch bunch," Showman said.

Smith decided to become a guidance counselor after she had a foster child for two years. She recognized the needs some children had and wanted to be the one to help them.

 Before receiving her master's degree in counseling from George Washington University, she was a teacher in Prince George's County for junior high, adult education,  and GED and ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) programs. She has been a counselor for elementary and high school levels.

"Opportunities opened and I'm always interested in trying something new," she said. "It's really been a great career for someone who loves kids and the community."

She started her career as a French teacher in Prince George's County, where she also taught art, math, English and gifted programs. While there, she chaperoned students on trips to France and on ski trips. In between maternity leaves, she relocated to various schools in Montgomery County before settling down at McNair.

Smith knows the ins and outs of McNair and of the Germantown community. She credits the school's partnership with parents, particularly the Parent-Teacher Association, as a major reason why she has loved her career there. Macfarlane said Smith has taken the time to get to know her students' families and their needs. 

"I see a child as a whole, not just for academic achievement," Smith said.

Perhaps her perspective comes from raising four children of her own, three of whom still live nearby. When she retires, Smith plans on catching up on family time, including visiting Colorado to see her son, who just returned from Afghanistan. She also plans to dabble more in her hobbies, which include cooking, gardening and volunteering. She labels her decision to retire a bittersweet one. She looks forward to retirement but will miss the students and staff, and their dedication.