Jake Mayfield is a Business Information Management (BIM) teacher and football coach at the high school, and this is his first year as a teacher. Mayfield is here alongside his dad, principal Chris Mayfield, and brother, senior Luke Mayfield.
At a Glance:
Favorite color: Baby blue
Favorite animal: Cheetah or dog
Favorite fast food: Whataburger
Favorite movie: Remember the Titans
Looking Deeper:
The Red Ledger: What made you want to move to the district?
Jake Mayfield: I wanted to move here because of the high standards in athletics and academics, the culture and the people.
TRL: What it is like coming back to your high school, and how is it different being a teacher now?
JM: I am extremely excited to be back at LHS. Lovejoy is family to me, and I want to help give students the same amazing experience that I got from teachers when I was here. In some ways, it is different as a teacher, and in some ways, it is not. I still feel the special culture here just like I did as a student. As a teacher, I get to see more behind-the-scenes details on what makes this school unique.
TRL: How has your experience in the district been so far?
JM: My experience has been better than I anticipated. Obviously, it is stressful to be put in a new position, but I could not have asked for a smoother start. The football coaching staff has taught me so much already, and working with them makes what I do a great experience.
TRL: Do you like Zoom classes?
JM: In my opinion, Zoom classes are good practice for college. However, after a few weeks of going through them, they become monotonous. It is much more difficult to build a relationship with my students through Zoom. It also takes away much of what high school is all about. The students have done a great job adapting to Zoom classes.
TRL: Do you have any prior teaching experience? Where?
JM: This is my first year as a teacher.
TRL: What is your favorite part about the high school?
JM: The students and the culture. Everyone here works extremely hard and abides by the standard set by those before us.
TRL: What is your favorite part about teaching?
JM: Building relationships with the students.
TRL: What is it like working alongside your dad and in the same school as your brother?
JM: I love it. Now, I get a chance to pick on them even more. I think I was hired to keep an eye out for them and make sure they are doing what they are supposed to be doing around here. It really is great to learn from my dad in the classroom and coach my brother out on the field.
TRL: How long did you know you wanted to teach?
JM: I think I knew it for most of my life but did not pursue it until I got to college.
TRL: What has been the hardest part to adjust to?
JM: The hardest things have been trying to get into a routine and training my body to adjust to the long days in the classroom and on the field.
TRL: What are your hopes for your classes this year and in future years?
JM: My hope is that each of my students would have an enjoyable experience. I hope they can look back on this year a few years down the road and be appreciative that they were a Lovejoy Leopard. I hope they are able to take the lessons they learn in my class and apply them for the rest of their lives.
