TO NOMINATE A TEACHER: EMAIL ANTHONY ZILIS at azilis@news-gazette.com
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After graduating from Milligan College in Milligan, Tenn., in 1993, Andrea Bailey was offered two jobs. To make her decision, she opened up her road atlas and measured which was closer to her family’s home just outside of Hoopeston.
That’s how she wound up at Monticello Middle School, where she still teaches social studies to sixth-graders, the same grade her father taught. She spends her days teaching her students with engaging lessons involving games, music and a bit of humor.
I find my work important because … it is hard. Hard work pays off. I know I have given my all when I am worn out at the end of the day. Anything hard but rewarding is worth it. I am proud to look back at the thousands of students I have taught and feel a sense of accomplishment. I have made my fair share of mistakes but get better each year. My goal is to look back and know that I did something important, and I know teaching is a job to feel proud of.
I became a teacher because … my dad talked me into it. He was a middle-school teacher, and, in fact, he was my sixth-grade teacher, the same grade I teach. He always told me that I was made to do this job. However, because he wanted me to do it, that was the very reason I didn’t want to go into teaching. And this began several years of “trying on” new majors. I hated them all. My dad convinced me to take Intro to Education and to “just give it a chance.” It took almost no time at all for me to realize my dad was right! It came so naturally. I loved the kids, and they loved me. The profession is about making connections with people, which I love.
My favorite or most unique lesson that I teach is … my introductory lesson to ancient civilizations. In fact, I just did this activity last week. I have a big ball of string, and we cut one inch of string for every 10 years of life. We cut a string for the age of a sixth-grader, for me, for the oldest person we know, for the age of the USA, and then, finally, we cut a string for the ancient people we will study in my class, a string that is 1000 inches long! We tape each piece of string to our wall. The longest string wraps around the room. The activity is jaw-dropping, and the kids realize how young and small we all are compared to the people who have come before us. It generates so much discussion and an appreciation for time. I have done this lesson for years, and each time, I am amazed by it as well.
My most fulfilling moments on the job are when … I talk one-on-one with a student. When I talk to a student about their life, their interests, their families and their worries, I make connections and purpose in my job. I love it when students want to stay a few extra minutes to tell me something about their day. I love it when past students find me outside of the school building with an energetic hello and want to catch me up with their lives. Relationships are very important to me.
I keep students engaged by … telling stories. I love to start each period with a funny or interesting story that happened to me, and then I love to teach history using animated storytelling techniques. I love when the class gets quiet, waiting for the next part of the story. Their hands will shoot up with all the connections and questions they have made, and time often runs out because we are so deep in discussions.
Something else I’m passionate about is … my love for God. He is the reason I do everything. He gave me my gifts, and it’s my job to use them!
My favorite teacher and subject to study in school was … I loved school, and I loved being with my teachers. Mrs. Cheryl Pugh, Mr. Scott Davis, Mrs. Susie Brown and Mr. Williamson, my dad, were all so special to me. I loved each of them. I went to a very small country school during my elementary years in Wellington. My class was the biggest with 14 students, so my teachers got to spend a lot of time with me and my classmates. When Wellington consolidated with Hoopeston in 1987, Mrs. Marty Lindvahl was my choir teacher from seventh grade until I graduated. She made middle school and high school some of the best years of my life. Singing, dancing, acting and performing was so much fun.
If I weren’t a teacher, I would be … a radio personality. I won a contest over 20 years ago by calling into WIXY and got to be on the morning show. I loved it! I would also like to be a waitress taking the early shift. Wouldn’t it be fun to pour coffee and talk to the regulars? Maybe in retirement!
— Anthony Zilis
