February 2014 Winner - Ann Bailey:(Enterprise High School)

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Meridian Star Article

By Terri Ferguson Smith

Students at Enterprise High School know that their 11th grade history teacher isn't just there — in the classroom — she's there for them. That dedication, according to her principal Mike Weathers, is one of the reasons many of Ann Bailey's students nominated her for the Golden Apple Teacher of the Month.

Bailey was surprised to learn she had been tapped for the honor when award sponsors and the media entered her classroom unannounced earlier this month.

A tearful Bailey said she loves her students.

"They don't think so every day, but I do," she said.

Weathers said Bailey's students have great access to her.

"She's available for them. She's always here. She loves every one of them the same amount no matter who they are or where they come from or what their grade is. She's a dedicated teacher. She's been doing it a long time and she knows what she's doing," Weathers said.

Her students consistently earn high scores on state-mandated history tests, he said.

Bailey has been teaching since 1969 — a fact that is not lost on her students.

"They think I've lived all of history, that I've experienced it personally and I have, quite a bit," Bailey joked.