Michael Forney recently transferred from McNiel Middle School as an administrator and came back seeking more opportunities for Rider’s last year. Forney graduated from Rider in 2010, and was a teacher at Rider back in 2019-2021.
The Rider Chronicle recently talked with Forney on why he came back to Rider and the differences about his new administration job.
Q: How long have you been in education and where?
A: I actually started my career in education back in 2015 and started here in Wichita Falls ISD and taught for about four years. I was at an alternative school for some time and then moved over to teach at Rider High School. I taught at Rider for two years, and taught U.S. government, and taught both AP U.S. History and regular U.S. History. After two years of teaching I moved into administration, and spent those past two years as an assistant principal at McNiel Middle School. And then I got the opportunity to come back to Rider High school as an assistant principal here.
Q: What led you to come back to Rider?
A: Just the opportunity, a chance to come back. I knew that there were other opportunities that other assistant principals here had, and I had the opportunity to come back here. And Rider is a very special place. So I jumped at the opportunity to come back and join for the last year of Rider High School.
Q: What’s the difference between being an admin in McNiel and being one at Rider?
A: I’d say that the big difference is the maturity of the students here at Rider High School. Students here are a lot more mature. They’re involved in a lot of activities, and it’s really cool to see students being involved in things that aren’t just their seven or eight classes. The band and orchestra and athletics and seeing the students perform.
Q: So how are the students at Rider High School different from the kids at McNiel?
A: The maturity is a big difference, a lot of the students are the same. I’ve known a lot of students over the last couple of years that are now juniors, sophomores and freshmen here at Rider. So they’re grown up. That would be a big part of it. A lot of the students grow up between middle school and high school.
Q: How is being an administrator different from when you were a teacher?
A: Oh my gosh, it is so different. And you spend a lot of time planning, but sometimes it’s not what’s going to happen the next day, but what’s going to happen two weeks from now or a month from now, and putting it all in place. Different processes and systems to help students be safe here on campus, but also to make sure they’re engaged in their classes. To make one comparison of the differences, as a teacher you’re kind of focused in one little area, and as admin, your viewpoint is zoomed out quite a bit. Your perspective is larger, so you can kind of see what’s happening across the whole campus. I would say one big difference between being an administrator and being a teacher is just my job and responsibilities. That’s a big change. When I was a teacher here, some of the things I just didn’t know about, because I was kind of focused on my class and preparing my students, but now kind of got a zoomed-out view.
Q: What do you miss the most about teaching?
A: Just that light bulb moment when students, when you know that they got something that you were teaching them and they can prove it to you. I still see it, but usually it’s not me leading those students to the light bulb, it’s other teachers. That’s a huge thing in education when students get it.
Q: How have the first days of Rider been like for you?
A: It’s been really great. We’re seeing a lot of school spirit. That’s another thing that’s a lot different from middle school, to high school, a lot more school spirit and student involvement. So it’s been a really great start.
Q: Is it important to you that you’re back here for Rider’s final year?
A: To me, it was just an opportunity that came about. Being here for the last year is going to be special, I wouldn’t have had another chance to come back to Rider High School. You know, here in a couple years, it will be a middle school. So being here for the last year of high school, I think it’s really special.
Q: How have you been able to fit in with the other administrators?
A: So I knew all the other administrators before I came back. So they really made me feel welcomed as part of the team. I think we work really well together as a team. So I’m definitely a team player and being a part of a team has been huge. That’s one of the things I’m really excited about this year.
Q: How was being at Rider as a student?
A: Oh my gosh. Taking me back now, It was different. I was involved in some activities, you know. Wasn’t in football. But I was in the Raider Crew my senior year, so we kind of had to run out the flags. I was in ACAP. Most of the years I was in high school, being involved in choir. I was in Crime Stoppers with coach (Cleveland) Wallerich. It’s really cool to see some of the teachers I had still here and kind of continuing Rider’s legacy.
Q: What has changed and what is still the same about Rider High School?
A: A thing that is the same is that it’s still a really special place. When you’re a student here, you know about all the traditions. Not a lot of high schools have a tradition like Rider High School. As far as things that are different, it’s just different. You know it’s what I’m doing. You’ve got a different view of the school than when I was a student and even when I was a teacher. And I’ll always remember that.
