The Herald names ‘Favorite Teachers’ in York, Chester, Lancaster counties
Jareth Bailey probably isn’t your typical high school assistant football coach.
He’s pretty mild-mannered and soft-spoken. Ask him about core coaching goals and he speaks of divine purpose and commitment more than blocking and tackling. Ask students about him and they’ll mention caring and insight.
That’s probably why students at Buford High School in Lancaster nominated Bailey for The Herald’s fourth annual Favorite Teacher Contest. Bailey, a math teacher who also coaches track, is one of 17 area teachers selected from hundreds of student nominations throughout York, Chester and Lancaster counties.
Each year, The Herald and heraldonline.com invite students to submit essays nominating their favorite teachers. A panel of Herald employees examines the nominations and selects a high school, middle school and elementary school winner in each of the six school districts in York, Chester and Lancaster counties.
All teachers, including those at charter and private schools, are eligible.
During the past two weeks, teachers have been presented with certificates signed by Herald General Manager Angela Joines and Editor Mark J. Rochester. Each of the “Favorite” teachers receives a certificate, a subscription to The Herald’s Newspaper in Education program, and a $100 gift card to use in her or his classrooms.
See today Life’s section on 1B for a complete list of the winning teachers and the students who nominated them. They also will be featured in August in “Class,” The Herald’s annual back-to-school special section.
Bailey, 28, has garnered considerable respect from students and staff alike at Buford High School. As he walks the halls of Buford, nearly everyone greets him cheerfully as “Mr. Bailey.”
“I kinda treat (all) the kids the same way,” he explained. “Definitely, in math, everything is a process, not just finding an answer. It’s (about) how you get there. And it’s the same in football.”
Bailey graduated from Buford High in 2006 and said he always planned on returning there to teach after college.
“It was in my senior year when I decided that I wanted to be a teacher,” said Bailey. “And so [I] went on to Newberry and from there, got my degree ... and then coming back out I was actually offered a job in our district.”
“It’s great (teaching here),” he said. “For me, this profession is God-led and that’s why I seek out God’s plan for it.”
He’s been teaching at Buford for four years now and says that the best part of his job is being able to help people. “I (just) enjoy helping others get better.”
This story was originally published June 11, 2016 at 6:43 PM with the headline "The Herald names ‘Favorite Teachers’ in York, Chester, Lancaster counties."