Alumni Spotlight: Jerome Bailey '09

Bailey admits that when he first started at Woodlynde in 9th grade, he had some hesitations about the transition to a new school.

“I didn’t like the commute from Center City, and academically, they wouldn’t allow me to enroll in honors classes. This just made me work harder. I did struggle, but the smaller class sizes supported my auditory processing disorder. Once I realized the teachers were there to help me, I almost forgot about it – I felt I overcame it.”

Reflecting on his time at Woodlynde, Bailey is most proud of his role as co-editor-in-chief of The Informer, Woodlynde’s student newspaper, which helped him take academics even more seriously. Teachers such as Ginny Byrne, Loren Smith, and Jeff Gelman pushed Bailey to work harder, and he credits them for his success today.

 

“The teachers at Woodlynde supported me immensely. During my senior year, I placed even more responsibility on myself which better prepared me for my freshman year of college. I learned to speak up at Woodlynde, so I was able to do that in college as well,” says Bailey.

After graduating from Woodlynde, Bailey earned his bachelor’s degree in history and secondary education from Hofstra University. Now, as a high school teacher, Bailey is inspiring his own students just as his Woodlynde teachers inspired him, striving to be a strong mentor for his students both in and out of the classroom.

“I am fortunate to have the opportunity to discuss contemporary and sometimes sensitive topics with my students. Last year, I developed a curriculum for an African American history class in which I encouraged a widely diverse group of students to discuss persistence, identity, resistance, and modern-day injustices. Students later told me that the class changed their lives,” says Bailey.

In August, Bailey embarked on his own life-changing journey and proposed to his fiancé, Raven Posey, a 1st grade teacher at Greene Street Friends School in Philadelphia. Together, they are planning a wedding for the summer of 2017.

Speaking fondly of Woodlynde, Bailey says “I will always have a soft place in my heart for Woodlynde.  It is truly my second home, and I will always remember the impact it had and HAS on my life.”