New addition to the Fair Grove English Department, former Fair Grove student Bailey Weaver returned as an English II, English III, Practical English, and Literature of the Bible teacher for the 2024-2025 school year.
Weaver expressed how she wanted to go into teaching, “I loved English, history, and business classes in high school. I loved reading and writing, I cared about helping my friends by editing their papers, and I learned that I had a passion for sharing this love and enthusiasm for literature with students.”
Weaver also stated that she was excited to be back in Fair Grove. She thought she would have no opportunity to return to her hometown. Now that she has come back, she realized she absolutely loved attending Fair Grove High School.
“Ms. Weaver came to Fair Grove this year with both experience and excitement: Experience teaching at the high school level, and excitement to come teach at Fair Grove,” Joseph Florez, her former English teacher and head of the English department, explained.
He described Weaver as a very good former student and also a hard worker who enjoyed English and cared about doing well in school.
Being a former student of Fair Grove, Weaver remembered taking Florez’s English I course as a freshman. Weaver said, “It was in his class that we read The Odyssey, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Outsiders, and Romeo and Juliet. These stories have stuck with me since I read them as a fifteen year old.”
Weaver stated that she is thrilled and excited to be an English teacher. “As a teacher, my goal is for my students to leave my classroom college and career ready. I want my students to feel loved, cared for, and seen. At the same time, I want them to feel challenged, experience growth, and develop critical thinking skills.”
In addition to that, Weaver wants to make sure her students are well prepared for life outside of high school. “No matter the class, I want them to feel one step closer to being ready to take on life outside of high school. I believe that language and literacy skills are essential to life long learning and success, and I want students to feel that opportunity and privilege.”
As the first new teacher in the English department in 15 years, Florez stated that, “Ms. Weaver brings lots of fresh ideas and a fresh perspective to our English department.”
