As she embarks on her first year as a teacher, Math instructor Bailey Whitefield said her main goal is to create lasting relationships with all of her students. Whitefield said she has always wanted to be a teacher and is excited for her first opportunity to do so.

She said being a new teacher means she is learning on the fly while constantly trying new lessons and methods to help her students get the most out of what she’s teaching.

“My students are learning new things every day. I’m learning new things too,” Whitefield said. “I’m learning how to better communicate to [students], how to manage classroom behaviors, how to set expectations and clearly communicate with those as well as learning how to best structure lessons.

After getting her teaching degree in Oklahoma, Whitefield decided to move with her family to Lawrence. After looking at schools around the area, she said all signs pointed toward Free State High School.

Whitefield said she is intrigued to watch how teaching evolves in the coming years. She said she is making sure that she can best prepare her students for life after high school by keeping up with what’s constantly changing.

“I don’t know what high school is going to look like after [students] graduate,” Whitefield said. “So it’s always intriguing to think about what it’s going to look like in a few years, and how can I best prepare [students] for what it’s going to look like in a few years.”