Whether he is in the hallways, at football games or in the weight room, students can find Lemarkus Bailey, the newest physical education (P.E.) teacher at Etowah High School, doing what he loves.   

 When given the choice to work at either an elementary, middle or high school, Bailey ultimately chose high school due to the teenagers’ maturity level. He felt he could better implement the life skills he set out to teach in older students.  

“I subbed in middle school, and it was a little bit tougher because I could not reason with them the same way I could [with teenagers],” Bailey said. 

Bailey teaches weight training and team sports, and, although they are not academic classes, he believes that they are healthy outlets for students during the school day. Kids who struggle to sit still and pay attention are able to have a class period where they can move around and use a different part of their brain than what subjects like math or science require.  

“As a student, it is hard to learn when you have extra energy. So I think that exercising is kind of a stepping stone to having an open mind,” Bailey said.  

 After school, Bailey works on the coaching staff for Etowah’s varsity football team, using experience from his own time playing football at Mercer University. Before coaching at Etowah, he spent four years in college earning his bachelor’s degree in education along with having a football scholarship.  

“There is more education [available] for teachers, so I could keep going and get a master’s [degree] in curriculum, or instruction,” Bailey said. 

Bailey emphasizes the importance of helping students develop healthy habits, as those who learn to be active in their youth are likely to continue that path throughout their lives.  

He hopes high schoolers will leave his course with an appreciation for fitness. Even if students are not in his class, they can see him in action next football season in the fall of 2022.