Marie Whaley is an Algebra 2 teacher here at Jacksonville High School. Whaley has a love for teaching high school students and goes the extra mile to help a student understand the material she teaches.
Whaley knew she wanted to be in the classroom from a young age, but says, “I wasn’t sure what I wanted to teach, or what grade level, but I knew teaching was what I wanted to do.”
Growing up, Whaley saw her mother teaching and says, “I saw how much she enjoyed her job and how much of a difference she was making; that solidified that my career would definitely be within a school.”
With her mother as inspiration, Whaley first attended MacMurray College to study deaf education but soon decided to change majors. Whaley stated, “I decided to change majors and transferred to Lewis University because they have a great education program. I graduated in 2012 with both my mathematics and secondary education degrees.”
After graduating Whaley taught seventh grade students before coming to JHS. She says, “Adjusting to high schoolers was funny. High schoolers get sarcasm and jokes.”
Whaley, like any other teacher has a pet peeve that students tend to do; however, unlike most teachers that hate pencils sharpeners going in class or dislike students lining up before the bell rings, Whaley says her pet peeve is lying. “Don’t lie- It’s not a good look for anyone.”
Math seems to be a good fit for Whaley here at JHS. She says, “I love math! So many students have negative attitudes about math. I enjoy teaching math and trying to break it down for students to understand and feel more confident about.”
Besides being a teacher, Whaley says, “I always thought it would be fun to work in a bakery! Decorating cakes and cupcakes all day seems fun.”
Whaley is an astounding teacher who makes sure every student in her class gets the help they need even if it means using her prep time or staying later after school– she is dedicated and anyone can tell she really loves her job.