Born in Tennessee and later attending college in Mississippi, the new Advanced Geometry and AP Precalculus teacher, Emily Mayes, finds herself in her first year teaching as a Redhawk. After spending last year on the Mississippi coast, Mayes was drawn to The Nest by its familiar vibe. To learn more about her journey to campus, Wingspan sat down with Mayes.
Wingspan: To begin, what enticed you to become a Redhawk?
Mayes: “I am new to Texas, so when I was looking for a job, I was browsing a bunch of different schools, and Liberty has a little profile online that tells me about its students, classes, and it persuaded me to join the school. It seemed very similar to my high school in terms of size, and I liked the fact that it was bigger, as that might bring more diversity. I liked that Liberty had a lot of things that students can get involved in, which was important to me. I also liked that Liberty had a lot of different classes to offer, and so it seemed like the student experience was important to Liberty, in terms of both academics and extracurriculars.”
Wingspan: You mentioned you’re not from Texas. Where did you grow up?
Mayes: “I am not; I am originally from Tennessee, but I went to college in Mississippi, living in Mississippi for all four years of college. Then this past year, I lived on the Coast in Mississippi till I moved to Texas.”
Wingspan: Where in Mississippi did you live, and was it enjoyable?
Mayes: “So I lived in North Mississippi. This past year, I lived very much on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. College was fun, it was situated in a small town, with all there is around you is college. To me, that was fun, but I came from a more lively place; my hometown is actually really close to Nashville. It was weird going from city life, full of places to go, to all that’s really around is school. I really enjoyed the coast of Mississippi, and it was undoubtedly hard to leave Biloxi.”
Wingspan: You mentioned water in Mississippi. Did you live on the beaches there?
Mayes: “Where I lived was on the beach. The Mississippi Beach isn’t the prettiest. The sand is fine, but the water is not fine, murky, brown water, not at all like Florida’s blue water, which is unfortunate. However, we had palm trees and pretty sand. We were very close to Florida, which was nice. I actually went to Florida a couple of times, just to the beach with my friends.”
Wingspan: What did you major in and minor in?
Mayes: “ I majored in math education, and then majored in just mathematics. With that, I didn’t pursue any minors, just because I was focusing on the two majors. I basically got two degrees for the price of one because I got a BA in math ed, and then I got a BS in math.
Wingspan: Have you always wanted to become a teacher?
Mayes: “Teaching has always been a passion of mine. I have always loved school, and I’ve always loved math, specifically. And this career path has just always been my dream. I’ve always wanted to teach. I love my job, I love working with kids, specifically high school age. I am not cut out for elementary schoolers or middle schoolers. But teaching has always been something that I’ve wanted to do.”
Wingspan: Teaching-wise, have you taken a liking to any specific classes?
Mayes: “I think for me as a student, geometry didn’t come as easily to me, and so it’s hard for me to teach it. With that, I’ve been struggling in teaching, trying to figure out if what I’m doing is working. Though I really enjoy my AP Precal classes. When I got into teaching, I wanted to work with juniors and seniors, the majority of my Precal students being that age, so it’s been nice to work with kids that age.”
Wingspan: So, you typically like older students? Would you ever think of being a college professor?
Mayes: “I’ve thought about it. I think one of the favorite aspects of teaching is the relationship I form with my students. I feel like if I did ever become a professor, that relationship isn’t present anymore. I believe it would be easier in terms of me not having to worry about things as much, because once you get to college, everything is on you. Nevertheless, I enjoy that I get to see my students every day, even if it’s not in my classroom but in the hallways and during passing periods. It’s the little things like that I would miss out on as being professor.”
Wingspan: So with that, do you have any artsy hobbies or anything cool that you do outside of school?
Mayes: “I don’t have any artsy hobbies, in terms of things I do outside of school. I recently got into pickleball, and so I’m just still learning, just playing for fun, nothing serious. I’m not a very competitive person. I like to have fun by getting active. I have a dog, so I love to walk her around and spend time outside with her. I enjoy being outdoors, though I wouldn’t classify myself as outdoorsy. I don’t like to hike and run and do that kind of thing. I like just being outside with my dog. I’m still relatively new here, so I’m still getting adjusted and learning things that I can precipitate in around here.”
Wingspan: So with your dog, what kind of dog is she?
Mayes: “She is a Cavalier King Charles spaniel. If you’ve ever seen Lady and the Tramp, she’s the same breed of dog as Lady. She’s a ginger, and very cute.”
Wingspan: I noticed you have a tattoo. Is there any special meaning to that?
Mayes: “There is. It’s my family’s birth flowers, including my mom, dad, sister, and me. It’s actually my first tattoo. Tattoos were something that I’ve always loved, and I’ve always wanted to get them. This will be the first of many, but I wanted my first one to have a meaning, be something special to me.”
Wingspan: Did you design it?
Mayes: “So I gave my artist my idea. I had been looking on Pinterest for inspiration, and I wanted a cute little base and then some flowers. So I just told her that, and I gave her some of my inspiration pictures, then she designed the full thing for me. I told her the flowers that I wanted. I love art, and wish I were better at it, but I am not good at taking things in my head and translating them physically. I’m more of a numbers person.”
