James V Morris is a retired forty-year career educator and school administrator. He first pursued fashion merchandizing and design, a short stint as a floral designer, then returned to his original career desire completing a Bachelor’s in elementary education at Lipscomb University. He taught in both public and private schools for thirteen years before earning a Master’s in Administrative Leadership at Trevecca Nazarene University. 

His first role as principal then president landed him in a private Christian school fourteen years. Within a legalistic environment he attempted to enact change regarding a host of strict conservative bylaws. He respectfully battled with the board of directors, but little change occurred. He gave up the fight and returned to his roots in a large urban public elementary school with a 96% poverty rate. He was suddenly inundated again but this time with a different set of challenging circumstances. This time battling the devastating impacts of poverty upon families and children’s learning. 

He officially retired at age fifty-seven due to some unforeseen bureaucratic circumstances beyond his control. James then returned to the same school district for part-time work, first as a substitute, interim teacher, academic interventionist, and a 120-day assistant principal for six years at a large elementary school in south Nashville with a low poverty rate. He treasured his last stint as an administrator, but called it quits at the even number of forty years. 

James is happily married to his wife Pamela forty-three years, and they raised one daughter. James and his wife reside in a rural portion of Davidson County north of Nashville, Tennessee. They have lived at the same location for thirty-seven years and like to refer to the location as “our wooded sanctuary.”James is a man of deeply held faith, relishes his retirement, loves writing, traveling, flower gardening, and always looking for new restaurants to enjoy with his wife or friends. Late in the sixth decade of life he still marvels how his life has unfolded, often stating, “How can this be!”