Ms. Mary D. Haile

About Me

I am the daughter of the late Henry Haile, Sr. and the late Mrs. Lucretia Burton Haile. I am the youngest of six children; I have three sisters and two brothers. Additionally, I am a beloved aunt; I have three nieces, five nephews, two great-nieces, and five great-nephews.

I was educated in the public schools of Richland County School District One, graduating from W. J. Keenan High School in June of 1998. After graduating from high school, I matriculated to Winthrop University. There, I majored in English with a minor in Secondary Education. During my junior year at Winthrop, I pledged the greatest public service sorority, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. In May of 2002, I graduated from Winthrop with a Bachelor of Arts in English with Secondary Education certification. I began my teaching career at my alma mater, W. J. Keenan High School, in August of 2002. Moreover, I completed my masters’ studies at Columbia College, earning a M.Ed. in Divergent Learning in August of 2004. In March of 2014, I graduated from Capella University with an Education Specialist degree in Curriculum and Instruction.

I am also involved in activities in the Richland County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. I serve on the Membership Services committee.

Last, but definitely not least, I am an active member of First Nazareth Baptist Church; I love gospel music, so I enjoy being a member of the B. N. Scott Choraliers.

My Philosophy

I believe being an educator is an innate gift. Not everyone has the ability, the insight, the heart to influence future generations. As a result, I take each day I enter the school and my classroom seriously. I believe each child who enters my classroom has the potential to become the greatest person on the earth. I treat each student who enters my classroom with a high level of respect, and I continuously encourage them to do their best. I believe every child can and will learn if they are presented high expectations and are expected to reach those expectations.

I am aware of the negative influences (drugs, gang involvement, teen pregnancy, low achievement) students face in their communities. I believe that when negative influences are used as excuses, students are hurt. I am open and honest with my students and encourage them to talk to me about any issues they are experiencing.

I teach each day with the mind that I one day may have a child of my own; the old saying, “what goes around comes around,” sits in my spirit, and I am aware that if I don’t do my best educating the students I am entrusted with that same lack of care could come around to haunt me later.

These beliefs make me the educational leader I am. The most rewarding aspects of my career come at the end of each school year and when I receive calls from students who have gone on to college. At the end of each school year, I feel that I have touched another life when students have me crying about not wanting the school year to end. Also, the calls I receive from former students who are now in college are also encouraging and let me know that although the students didn’t like some of the teaching and some of the tough love I shared with them while they were with me in high school, they are benefiting from these things in their post-secondary experiences.

My personal beliefs about teaching and educating are demonstrated in my personal teaching style on a daily basis. I expect my students to come to school prepared to learn every day. While planning for instruction, I consistently think of ways to involve each student in every lesson. I teach to the multiple learning styles, I establish routines, and I incorporate real world examples in each lesson. I encourage my students to actively participate in their studies and to ask questions to expand their knowledge.