This upcoming January will mark Jayson Payeur’s eighth year working at Malden High School where his first seven were spent as a physical education teacher. Payeur begins the new year as the House Principal for Jenkins.
Payeur was originally born in Dover, New Hampshire, but was raised in both Lebanon, New Hampshire and Kittery, Maine. He attended Springfield College for his Undergraduate—earning a degree in physical education—and then went to Cambridge College for a graduate degree where he studied in Educational Administration in leadership.
Part of his teaching abilities come from his five years of active duty because he claims that “training with the drill sergeants was still teaching, and [he] was with kids all the time. So that kind of created [his] love for teaching” and made him think about how he wanted to pursue a degree in leadership once he got out of the army. Payeur joined because he needed the money for student loans, which the army said they would help him with and also states that it was “one of the best things [he] ever did.”
That experience “made [him] who [he is] today.” His involvement with the army is how he learned to work “with students, diversity, and [in] difficult situations, because [he feels] like [he has] seen worse and [he tries] to apply what [he] learned from that onto students in a positive way”—but not in a military way, rather looking at “how a person can be better and or what [the staff] can do to motivate kids.”
Mary-Jo Urquhart, a physical education teacher who has co-taught with Payeur for all these years, also recognizes his experience and states that the one thing she admires about him is “his ability to stay mentally strong during difficult situations and [she thinks] it comes from him serving in the military which really gave him leadership skills to succeed in this next position.”
Urquhart also shares a conversation she once had with Payeur where he said “wait, you don’t make your bed?” and she replied with “I mean, no, it is just too early and my husband is still sleeping” and the two of them enjoyed a laugh at this. He just seemed so astonished by this which proves just “how organized and well-prepared he really is.”
At first, Urquhart admits that she felt “anxiety” once she found out that Payeur would be moving into a different position because she had become so accustomed to working with him. However, she also expresses that she was “so happy for him because [she] always knew that he would need more. He always commits to growth and with the passion that he has...it is hard to teach that passion.”
Payeur explains that he originally applied for this position last year but did not get it the first time. It was not until a friend of his reached out to him that he was convinced to try again one more time. When it worked out though, he claims it felt “awesome” and he is very thankful for the opportunity. However, he also adds that he “misses [his] colleagues and the environment” of his old position, but that this new change is “different and good.” He further explains that “no day has been the same day. Every day there is a different issue. But [he likes] it.”
Guidance Counselor, Ann O’Connor, was a part of the process in hiring Payeur and claims she only knew him as “a teacher within the building” before his new position. O’Connor says she has had “great interactions with him before but did not really know him that well” but now that she is getting to know him better, she recognizes the great relationships he has with kids.
When asked how she would describe Payeur, she states that he is “fair and invested. It is clear that he is motivated and is throwing himself in 110 percent.” O’Connor also believes that he brings “really unique qualities to the position” that makes him very fit for the position.
Payeur’s new job impacts the school in several ways. She says it is “obvious anytime anyone interacts with him to see that he is a very genuine person and that he is truly here to help whoever needs it. It is a new role for him and [it is] one that you can tell he is looking forward to being in. There is a lot of new blood within administration so [she thinks] he is a great contributor to that great energy that’s coming in.”
Along with his new position, Payeur also carries his role as a father of his two-year-old daughter living with him and his wife at home. He explains that his new position is more “time consuming” but that he really tries to balance his life with his family and sets aside time for them as well.
The school is proud to present Payeur as the new Jenkins House Principal and is “glad to have him as part of the team.” Payeur is constantly looking for ways to improve and grow as a person and in his work so that he may benefit what is of utmost importance to him and that is supporting his staff members and students.
