There are many new teachers that have arrived at McIntosh for the 2025-2026 school year after many teachers last year left or retired. One of those teachers is Daniel Turner, a math teacher who teaches Algebra and Precalculus. He’s in his eighth year of teaching total but is only in his first year of teaching at McIntosh.
Ironically, Turner was not very interested in math when he was in high school.
“It wasn’t really until college, when I took Calculus and kind of everything came together because, like, your normal high school curriculum is really building you up to take Calculus, so you don’t see the full picture really until you take that course. So I had a really good professor and kind of fell in love with the subject in college, and I decided that I wanted to use my skills to help [my students]” Turner said.
Turner moved to Peachtree City after having previously worked at Eagle’s Landing High School in Henry County for seven years, which is also where he graduated from. He describes working at McIntosh as a different experience than working there.
“A lot of the faculty has been here for a long time, so people seem happy to be working here. The whole cell phone thing was new to me. Kids putting their cell phones away and not fighting you on that is not something I’m used to, but I’ve enjoyed seeing how productive kids are as a result of that.”
He has other opinions on the students of McIntosh in general.
“I mean, I think students here are very focused on their academics. I mean, the kids at my previous school, most of them, a lot of them, were focused on academics. A few of them you had to feel like pulling teeth to get them to focus on their classes. But that’s not too much.”
Although he is only in his first year at McIntosh, Turner has plans for the future.
“My goals for teaching are to learn from my colleagues. I’m still in my eighth year, but I still feel like I have a lot to learn, to build positive relationships with my students.”
The new teachers all have new challenges and new experiences that they will gain from teaching students here. The teachers who retired or left last year will be missed. However, the new teachers are bringing new perspectives, and it could be the change that McIntosh could need in the coming year. Turner’s advice for struggling students is to just talk to others.
“Reach out to the people around you, including your peers and your teachers and your parents because you have a large system of supports, you just gotta use it. You’re not alone.”
Turner gives out some final advice to the students of McIntosh.
“Enjoy your time in high school. It’s a very special place. It’s not like the real world, but it’s very special. So enjoy your youth and your time.”
