Fabulous Fay

To me, the one thing that defines Mrs. Fay more than anything else is her incredible capacity for empathy. She’s the first teacher I’ve had who truly understands us – our lives, our struggles, our enormous dreams, and our shattering pitfalls. She has a tangible sense of presence anywhere she goes – reminiscent to that of Mr. Keating in Dead Poets Society, which she showed us in class on her own volition. Her teaching style is unique, in that it’s almost completely about teaching us, instead of grading us. To her, the numbers and letters assigned to our names on our transcripts mean nothing, compared to the knowledge, ability, and attitude she imparts to us. Being in her class, having her as a figure in my life, means more than getting grades and learning how to get good at analyzing passages. It’s about taking the words of an author into your very being – learning from the novels we read – and being able to impart that soulful passion onto paper for somebody new. Seeing in that new light made the world for me, and it changed my life.

-Garrett Allen

Hi mom,

I just wanted to say thank you for everything you’ve done for me ever. I still remember the day you and Schott (dad) thought something was up and you pulled me in the back and I cried like a noob (so embarrassing) and you gave me a hug and told me to let you know what you could do for me. It really stuck with me. It wasn’t a “know i care” or a “i’m here if you need” it was a “i know there is something i can do for you, don’t hesitate to let me know what it is”. I really appreciated that. You are always someone I look forward to seeing you everyday, just because you are such a fun person. You always find a way to make me laugh and make things fun. I love love love that you are a person who cares more about her students well being and them actually learning. You are both a friend and a teacher to me, but really a mom. Thank you for caring so much about your students, it is admirable, to say the least. I’m having trouble writing this, words are hard, and you’re too great for words descriptions. But really, I could never thank you enough for all the laughs and hugs and gossip and the impact you have had on my life. You mean very much to me, and I can guarantee I will come to see you every day. Last but not least thank you for accepting me, even though I am a bear.

Love you human,

Emily Mann (bear)

ps I really hope I got a 5 for you!

Dear Ms. Fay,

Looking back at my time here at Central, many moments stand out to me; however, my junior year is the year that was the most transformative year for me. I feel I grew the most, both academically and personally, last year and I sincerely believe that you are the biggest reason for this.

I remember walking into your class on the first day and I was terrified, because everyone had told me how difficult your class is. My tune about your class quickly changed into excitement once I realized one very, very important fact: you love dogs. This fact alone made my time in your class enjoyable, yet what truly made my time in your Lang class memorable is the way you treated all of your students with equal parts of sass, humor, and kindness.

Throughout my time in your class, you taught us how to voice our opinions and to defend them even if we had to defend our opinions against the whole class. You taught us how to think independently of others.

You fully accept all the quirks of your students and make them feel that they are safe to be who they truly are in your class. In your class people receive your full and unwavering support. Never had I ever had a teacher who so genuinely and totally cared about her students inside and outside of the classroom. You not only worry about the student inside your (very colorful) classroom walls, but you care about the people we are outside of school which I believe distinguishes you from a great teacher to a truly exceptional teacher. You go above and beyond for each individual student whether that be asking about how we are doing, talking about our interests, or even making a personalized note to each and every one of your Lang students before they take the AP test.

Your humor, sass, and kindness have forever made my high school years memorable. No words are enough to express the amount of gratitude I have for the amount of time and effort that you have devoted to your students. You truly make a difference at our school.

Thank you for all of these reasons and so many more,

Maggie Sills