A Conversation with Mrs. Bailey

Why and when did you begin to teach for TPS? What was your background before that?

I actually was a student with TPS when I was in high school, which is how I heard about it. I took English classes, Psychology classes, Math classes, and Government classes, and I absolutely loved TPS. That started my journey here. Although I graduated from college with an English Literature degree, my background before TPS was primarily Theatre Education. I taught 5th-8th grade Theatre in a private Christian school while also working at a professional theatre company, where I worked on many shows in the “tech” part of theatre, particularly stage management. When my husband (Brown) and I were getting married, I knew that I would have to move away from my job at the time, and immediately I thought of TPS. I’ve been teaching with TPS since 2021, so I’m going on my 4th year here as a teacher!

Any information on your family you’d like to share?

My husband and I live in Colorado Springs, right at the base of Pike’s Peak. We absolutely love living here and exploring Colorado. We hike a lot out here — even in the snowy months! We have two “fur babies”: a 3-year-old lab/hound mix named Georgie, and a 6-year-old calico cat named Bonnie. They love living here in Colorado too.

Which classes do you teach, and why did you choose them?

I have taught English 1 Lit/Comp, English 2 Lit/Comp, and English 3 Confident Composition; I will be teaching E1 and E2 next year. I chose those particular classes because I just love teaching middle schoolers English. I think that you all in this age group have such wonderful insights into literature as well as a lot of things to say in writing. I learn so much from you! My passion is literature and storytelling, and I think that English does both. You have the opportunity to explore so many new worlds in literature as well as tell stories in writing. Storytelling is one of the things that has lasted for generations, and it will continue on forever!  

What are your favorite things to cover in class, and what is your teaching philosophy in general?

My favorite things to cover in class are definitely the “connections” we can make. I love how literature, because it’s written by humans, tells the human experience. So often, stories written in completely different areas of the world connect to the same themes and conflicts, and I love seeing students make those connections between pieces of literature and then to our lives. My teaching philosophy is all about application. How can we find connections from literature to what we face today, and how can we develop our own voice in composition to tell OUR stories?

Day-to-day, what is it like to teach online?

Teaching online is such an interesting dynamic because you develop understandings of one another in such a different way than you would in-person. You have to intentionally find ways to connect with each other so that your class has community. For example, every year, when we discuss The Fellowship of the Ring, I wear a crazy Gandalf hat. It has started the nickname of “Bailey the Blue” instead of “Gandalf the Gray.” Now, it’s become an inside joke with all of my classes. Additionally, since we can’t see each other’s faces all the time, when I have to emphasize things that are important, I’ll literally say “hint hint, cough cough.” My students know that this means that they need to pay extra attention. It’s little things like that as teachers that we use to find ways to connect with students and show our personality. It works the same way for students — each of my students finds ways to interact and show their personality, helping our classroom feel like a home.

Any April Fool’s Day stories?

I am VERY bad at pranks — mostly because I spoil the secret or surprise, so there’s nothing related to April Fool’s Day in particular that I have been able to “pull off” successfully! I did recently hide foam mini Easter eggs all throughout our house so that Mr. B. would find them in random places (drawers, closets, in the couch, etc.). He is still finding them. . . 

What is your favorite book? Writer? Food? Animal? Landscape?

My favorite book is Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. It’s a sad story, but I love it for the depth of emotion and the description! I can’t choose just one favorite novelist, but I enjoy reading Dostoevsky, the Brontës, and Agatha Christie. I am a big fan of reading theatre, so I HAVE to say Shakespeare. 🙂 My favorite poet is probably E.E. Cummings, Emily Dickinson, or William Butler Yeats. It’s hard to ask an English teacher their favorite authors — there’s just too many to pick from! 

 My favorite food is tacos. We have them at least once a week in our house, and we are also big fans of chips and salsa. Favorite animal would have to be penguins. I think they’re some of the cutest animals I’ve ever seen.  

 I grew up near the ocean in New England, so I love the beach. It’s hard to argue with the beauty of the mountains here in Colorado though. Even still, I would have to say that the ocean is my happy place!

If you could give any historical figure twenty more years of life, who would it be and why?

Oh, this is a hard one. If I had to pick a purely historical figure, probably Theodore Roosevelt. He did a lot for the United States in preserving the outdoors and founding National Parks, and we owe a lot of the beautiful sites we explore here to him! I would have to say C.S. Lewis if I was picking an author. I think he has done an incredible job in connecting so many people to the Christian faith with his variety of stories, and his works appeal to adults and students alike. That is a hard thing for an author to do — to influence that many people and write something for everyone — and I would have loved to see what else he wrote with 20 more years.