Former JCHS associate principal to publish book

David Wilson hopes to have his first book published soon.

“I’ve always wanted to write a book. It just happens that I was able to organize it now,” the former Jefferson City High School associate principal said.

Wilson worked at JCHS from 2009-16. His first five years were as an assistant principal.

He hopes the book, titled “Learning Every Day,” will be available within two weeks. He said Tuesday the publisher was in the process of printing the first copies.

Wilson wrote a weekly column for the News Tribune for more than four years, 2011-15. “It was often education-related, but I had a great deal of latitude to write about several different issues,” he said.

Before coming to Jefferson City, he was a teacher for 12 years and a principal for 15 years in two other school districts in the state.

Since retiring from JCHS, he has moved to Springdale, Arkansas.

“The word retirement is kind of misleading in my case,” he said. “For me, retirement just means transition.”

He said he’s searching for another vocation, “probably education-related. I just haven’t found the right situation yet.”

In the meantime, he continues to write columns for three newspapers in northwestern Arkansas — Farmington, Siloam Springs and Bella Vista.

“The best columns kind of constitute the make-up of the book,” he said of incorporating his previous written work.

Wilson’s promotional material describes “Learning Every Day” as a “realistic look at loving life, loving family and loving one’s heritage. It’s about appreciating the past, enjoying the present and preparing for the future. … It is also about embracing the daily opportunity to learn and grow.”

Given his career, a lot of the book has educational aspects to it, but he added he also wrote about “growing up in the middle part of America,” personal stories involving his parents and grandparents, history, sports and culture.

He said readers can enjoy the book cover-to-cover, read only certain parts or not read the chapters in any particular order.

“I wrote all of it to give people plenty to think about, and hopefully to provide a perspective that is positive and uplifting,” he said in an email.

“My seven years at JCHS was an enriching experience. I was able to learn and grow every year because I got to work with some extraordinary colleagues. I’ll always be grateful for that,” he added.

“Learning Every Day” will be available in paperback and digitally on Amazon, iTunes, Barnes & Noble and Kobo.