BY DAWSON HUNT STAFFWRITER
The Teacher of the Year competition has always been a large part of public school systems. It was created to give the teachers that stand out some recognition for their outstanding work. Each school elects one teacher of the year to compete at a District level. The winner from the regional goes to, regional, state, then national. The TOY award is the best award a teacher could receive for their amazing work.
This year’s TOY is Jessica Bailiff-Noe. One of the reasons Bailiff was elected to be TOY is because she is an active advocate in the HOLA Administration. The HOLA Lakeway Administration’s goal is to help teach Spanish speakers English. Noe devotes her time to HOLA by going to Laundromats during the evening to help teach the English language to Spanish speakers.
Bailiff-Noe teaches Algebra 1, English, and Physics. She has also taught Physical Science and Chemistry. HOLA offers Spanish and English classes. HOLA also offers financial assistance to immigrant families affected by the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Bailiff-Noe shared, “I grew up in Weatherford, Texas. Both of my parents are originally from Morristown, so I have extended family in the area. One summer in high school, I was visiting family in the area and decided to tour Carson-Newman. I decided to attend school there and major in Chemistry and Spanish.”
Bailiff also stated, “I had always wanted to go to medical school and become a pediatrician, but I began to rethink my plan when I was a senior at Carson-Newman. I was actually in the middle of an exam for one of my classes when my professor told me that West High was looking for Chemistry teachers, so I applied. Once I got the job, I enrolled in a Master’s program at Carson-Newman to get my teaching license.”
One of Bailiff’s Students, Lorean Atkins, shared, “Mrs. Bailiff takes time to work with her students and encourages them to work hard. She gets to know her students, so she can work with them more efficiently.”