The Madison County School school system has many great teachers, but a few of the social studies teachers tend to stand out with their kind, revenant attitude. We interviewed the always positive and humorous Mr. Wilson, Mr. Davis, Dr. Axon, and Mr. Brown about their teaching environments. 

Mr. Davis has a chill, welcoming classroom that never fails to put a smile on his students’ faces. He often lets us have class discussions and lets us be ourselves. His teaching is engaging and fun. Mr. Davis says, “I’ve been teaching 11 years. My aunt was a teacher; she was always someone I thought was a cool person and impacted people’s lives in a good way. I wanted to coach baseball also. The more time I spent in the classroom, the more I liked it. I love what I do, I love getting to work with students and seeing how much they grow from the beginning to the end of the year. To balance coaching and teaching, you have to have a very understanding spouse that knows what they’re getting into and you have to love what you do so that everything is the right amount of time. A lot of things keep me going. I really love being here and the fact that it’s something different everyday, I love my students, and I hear and see something new out of them everyday. Other hobbies I value are fishing, watching sports, and traveling. Teaching has made me a lot more understanding and compassionate for other people and things they might be going through. Although I teach both US History and Economics, I enjoy teaching US History more.” 

Dr. Axon has a cool, free style that drives students to rise to her rigorous expectations. She responds, “I’ve been teaching for 18 years. There wasn’t ever really anything to ‘inspire’ me. Teaching is something I’ve wanted to do since I can remember. I was that kid that played school with my dolls. I hope I am positive! If I am positive, it is because I work with great people and great students. My social studies peeps have fun with each other every day, and even if kids do something dumb, they are kids and they can still grow up. All of us adults have been where the students are right now. I love hanging out with friends and family – including my two dogs. Also, I really like traveling. Life keeps me going. I enjoy my job and I enjoy my life outside of my job. There has to be a balance between the two. Teaching so long has taught me to be more patient. I am a slight control freak, but I am still learning that I cannot control everything.”   

Mr. Brown is truly one of the most generous, funniest, and laid-back teachers in Madison County High School. His classroom is filled with positivity and is an extremely comfortable environment. Mr. Brown never fails to help his students out in any way possible and always wants his students as a whole to be their authentic selves. He has a passion for what he does and it is clear by the positive energy he spreads all throughout the school. Mr. Brown always goes the extra mile for his job and makes it a top priority for his students to succeed in not only his class but life as a whole. Mr. Brown responds that he has been teaching for “20 years. Some of the most positive, influential people in my life have been teachers or in education. I still reach out to those people on occasion for advice thirty years later. The decision to have a positive attitude is the most important decision you can make. Being positive is a choice and you have to make that choice daily. I love music. Playing with friends, going to concerts, all of that. I also enjoy gardening and working around the house. [What keeps me going is] THE PEOPLE I WORK WITH!!!!!! I love them. We laugh everyday. It is way easier to make that daily decision to be happy when you enjoy the people around you. Education teaches you patience and empathy. You can’t stay in this career if you don’t care about young people and want them to have better opportunities than you did at their age. Teaching also keeps you young at heart.”

The outgoing “little brother,” as Mr. Davis calls him, Mr. Wilson never spares a boring moment in the classroom. He always has something funny to say, and he makes sure his hair is fixed just right. He spreads positivity throughout the school. Mr. Wilson responds, “This is my second year as a teacher. I wanted to be that role model for students that I had when I was in school. I wanted to make a difference in the lives of students. Balancing is not as hard or complex as people may think. I simply love what I do and do not consider this a ‘job.’ You have to have good time management. I do not believe it’s a super challenging thing to do. It reverts back to the last answer, I enjoy every second of it so it is not really a balancing act. I enjoy being outside, hunting, fishing, hanging out with my pups, and definitely watching sports. The thing that keeps me going is my students. I genuinely get happier when the 8:03 bell rings for class to start. The fact that I feel like I am making a change in the lives of students keeps me going as well. Teaching has taught me to be more patient.”