Coach Dalton Barron, weighed down by his twenty-pound backpack, weaves through the high school, blending in with the student body, moving from classroom to classroom, thermos in hand, ready to tackle the day ahead of him.
As a first-year teacher and coach at Azle High School, Barron faces new and exciting challenges. However, Barron didn’t plan on a future in education. Originally, he was a physical therapist, but a new opportunity appeared.
“Coach [Connor] Mason told me there was an opening for the assistant tennis coach in Azle and asked if I wanted to give it a try. I said sure,” Barron said. “Coach Mason had been one of my best friends for years,” Barron said. “He thought I’d really like it, so I took the assistant coach position.”
Luckily, he loves it.
“[Teaching] is definitely better than what I would’ve said,” he said.
But as a floater, a teacher with no classroom, he faces some unexpected challenges.
“If you were to look in my backpack right now, you would see just a jumble of assignments that I need to grade,” Barron said. “It’s just space issues, but every teacher whose classroom I’m using has been awesome.”
As a young teacher, Barron puts a new spin on teaching that allows him to connect with students.
“Y’all are still kids, but you are having to grow up and learn to be adults, so I try to treat y’all like that,” Barron said. “I still kind of have to make sure that they stay on top of things, but I’m trying to help them learn responsibility.”
Barron isn’t much different as a coach. He’s been playing tennis for 12 years, and that experience proves itself.
“He’s a really good coach. He doesn’t overcomplicate it,” senior and tennis player Royce Baker said. “He’d sing a song to distract me, so I’m not as angry.”
Growing up, Coach Barron lived most of his life in a small rural town, one similar to the Azle, where he calls home now.
“I grew up in Brenham Texas,” Barron said. “I lived there all my life, except for the years that I went to college.”
As a kid and even now, Barron spends his days off gaming.
“I’m currently playing Starfield, and I’ve also played Days Gone. It’s probably my favorite zombie game,” he said.
Despite it only being a few months into Barron’s first year, he already finds the job rewarding.
“Seeing how happy students are is awesome,” he said. “You can really see how much it means to students that you’re helping shape them into the adults you know they’re going to be.”
