LeAnn Hays is the 9-12 grade band representative for RCS Teacher of the Year. She currently is a librarian at Oakland High School and has worked with Rutherford County Schools for 27 years. In this Q&A Hays answers questions related to her career and how she began teaching.
Q: What is your history with teaching?
A: (Hays) I’ve been teaching for 30 years. I’ve taught all three levels. Started in elementary and then moved to middle school – then moved to high school. So, all three levels, which is kind of unusual. All that has been in Rutherford County. I started teaching at David Youree in Smyrna. Now I’m one of the librarians at Oakland High School.
Q: Why did you want to work in education?
A: (Hays) I’m not sure! There wasn’t one thing that convinced me to do it. I’m not one of those people who grew up wanting to be a teacher. I did know I wanted to work with children and young people. I never anticipated teaching 1stgrade, but at the time it was very hard to get a teaching job. So, I took what was open. First grade was the best training I ever had for classroom management and learning how to manage a classroom. I think that first grade training I had made me an effective teacher.
Q: Why did you choose your grade level/content?
A: (Hays) Once I decided I wanted to teach I thought I’d want to teach middle school. So, I moved from first grade there and taught language arts. I loved reading and loved bringing students into reading and discussing books they loved. My mentor at Central Middle School, Margaret Moore, told me I should think about being a librarian, so I did. I love it!
Q: What do you hope will be your impact after you’ve stopped working?
A: (Hays) I hope students will remember I took time to hear them and help them. That they felt seen when they think of me and the work that I did.
Q: What about Oakland High School do you love?
A: (Hays) Everything. It’s just such a dynamic place. There’s always something going on here. The students are involved in everything from academics to careers and clubs and athletics. It’s just such an exciting place to be. That’s what I love about a high school. There’s so much going on and there’s so many places you can plug students in to an interest or an academic or extracurricular. That’s what I love about Oakland High School.
Q: What keeps you coming back day after day?
A: (Hays) The students and the teachers. No question. A lot of times people ask me, ‘why did you want to become a teacher?’ I tell people that very few who have been in their careers as long as I have still love what they do. It’s hard work, but its great work.
Q: What advice do you have to those who are starting a career in education
A: (Hays) Find a mentor. That’s something I definitely got right, finding an excellent mentor. I mentioned Margaret Moore. She was a librarian, but she taught English before. So, I would teach a lesson, go to her, and she would talk me through what I thought didn’t go right. Also, Julia Maddux. Big influence in my work as a teacher. You must be willing to look at what you’ve done, and it’s always a process of ‘let’s get this better next time’. So, you need to be willing to hone your craft. Be flexible. Things aren’t always going to work out, and there’s always going to be something going on. Give yourself time to learn your craft. You’re not going to be great at it the first year.
Q: What else should we know about you?
A: (Hays) I’m passionate about my family. I spend a lot of time at my children’s athletic events. My son plays basketball and baseball at central magnet. My daughter is the athletic trainer for the university of Tennessee Lady Vols. So, I am very much involved with my kids and with sports. I enjoy all sorts of sporting events. Football, baseball, basketball – I’m a huge fan.