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Hartselle Enquirer
Weeks has been married to Dynette Weeks for 13 years and they have three children: Elizabeth is 11 and in the sixth grade, Jacob is nine and in the fourth grade. Sarabeth is six and in the first grade. | Special to the Enquirer

Meet the teacher-Donald Weeks

Priceville’s Donald Weeks shapes students through coaching, teaching

Lauren Estes-Velez

Hartselle Enquirer

From the field, to the court, to the classroom, Donald Weeks has had the opportunity to impact both athletes and students alike in his 24-year teaching career.

Weeks, who earned a Bachelor of Science in secondary math education and a Master’s of Education in secondary math education from Auburn University, also obtained a master’s certification in instructional leadership from Samford University and an education specialist certification as a Teacher Leader from the University of West Alabama.

“I started my teaching career at Vina High School in Franklin County, teaching sixth- through eighth-grade math, Applied Mathematics and Algebra II,” Weeks said. “I was a varsity assistant football coach, as well as the only boys basketball coach.” He coached middle school, junior varsity and varsity during his time at Vina.

Weeks said after spending three years at Vina, he took a job at Curry High School, where he stayed for seven years.

“At Curry, I taught Algebra IA, Algebra IB, Algebra I, Algebra II/Trig and Advanced Math,” Weeks said. “I coached the middle school football team for six of the seven years, and I was the head varsity basketball coach for three years and the JV coach the other four years.”

Now, he is in his 15th year at Priceville High School, where he has taught Algebra IA, Algebra IB, Algebra I, Algebra II, Algebra II/Trig, Pre-Calculus and Calculus. “I have taught Math 112, 113 and 125 as part of dual enrollment classes through Calhoun Community College for several years now,” he added.

During his time at Priceville, Weeks has held several roles in the Bulldog athletic department.

“As a football coach, I was the middle school head coach for the first two years and then the third year, I moved to the varsity and was the offensive coordinator,” Weeks said. “After that I became the head varsity football coach for the next five years. On the basketball court, I was the ninth-grade boys head coach, as well as a varsity assistant for the first three years.

“The next five years, while I was the head football coach, I did not coach basketball. The last seven years, I have been the junior varsity boys head coach and a varsity assistant coach. For a few years, I doubled up as the ninth-grade boys coach as well. I have not coached football the last seven years.”

Weeks said he took over the Scholars’ Bowl team at PHS several years ago. “The same year, I started a math team, and we go to different math competitions each year and compete against other schools,” Weeks said. “I enjoy providing some of our brightest students the chance to compete against the best from other schools. It presents our best students with a chance to shine.”

The math team, Weeks added, “has had some recent success at the Alabama State Math Contest. Three years ago we won the Geometry Division. Two years ago we won both the Geometry and Algebra II divisions, as well as the State Ciphering. Last year we won the Algebra II and Comprehensive divisions, and we came in second in the State Ciphering.”

A memory he holds onto fondly takes him back to his first day of teaching and how it all began.

“I did not get a job at the beginning of the school year,” Weeks said. “So, I had gone back to Auburn University to start work on my master’s degree. Late in October, I received a call from a job that I had interviewed for during the summer but did not get. The man who had initially received the job had passed away, and they were trying to find someone to fill that position. I came up from Auburn and interviewed for the job and was hired. So, my first day of work turned out to be Nov. 1.”

Although he was new to teaching, Weeks said no slack was given, and he was also handed a basketball coaching job that same day.

“I remember staying with my parents the night before; I got up and drove two hours to get to work,” Weeks said. “I taught school all day. Then, I was the only boys basketball coach at the school. I met the varsity and JV boys teams after school and conducted our first practice.

“At that point in my life, I had never been a coach. Later that night, I coached the first basketball game of my career, as the middle school team was already playing games, and they had one on that night. So, with the help of the girls coach, I coached my first game.

“I met most of the team for the first time in the locker room before the game. Somehow, we won that game.

“As if the day had not been long enough already, the principal thought it would be a good idea to have an athletic booster club meeting after the game so he could introduce me to all of the parents.”

Weeks said something else that sticks out to him is the kindness he has been shown in coordination with helping students over the past 24 years.

“I will always cherish the cards, letters, mentions in graduation speeches, et cetera, that I have received over the years. Several students have thanked me for having them prepared when they got to college,” Weeks said. “I remember a particular student who struggled early in my Algebra II/Trig class. I had the student again the next year in Pre-Calculus. After the last day of class for seniors that year, I found a card in my mailbox at school from this student thanking me for not giving up on them as a student. They stated a pretty significant increase in the math portion of their ACT and stated I was the reason for that increase.

“A great deal of people cringe when they find out that I teach the advanced math classes,” Weeks said. “My hope is that I can provide a positive experience for my students in a subject area that most find difficult. So, when I receive notes or cards from students, I feel like I have succeeded in providing them with a positive experience.”

For Weeks, there wasn’t a defining moment where he felt like he was going to become a teacher; he just followed his passion.

“I have always had two passions in my life: math and sports,” Weeks said. “I loved math as a student when I was in high school. I was on our math team. I also loved sports. I played football, basketball, and baseball in high school. So, I decided to pursue a job that would allow me to be involved in the two things that I have a passion for.”

Each year, Weeks sets goals for himself both inside and outside the classroom.

“My goal for this year is to prepare the students I have in my classroom for their futures,” Weeks said. “Hopefully, they will be prepared to be successful in their math classes once they arrive at their post-secondary schools, but I also hope I have been a good role model for them who helps prepare them for the things in life that they will face.

“I talk about the six P’s in my classroom all of the time: Proper Prior Practice Prevents Poor Performance. Also, we talk about the student’s will to be excellent in everything they do. I want them to strive for excellence in my classroom, but I want them to strive to be excellent in everything that they do.”

With Weeks’ dedication to multiple sports programs, more than a few memories came to mind when reflecting on past games that were more than memorable.

“One happened during my second year at Vina. We were behind in the last minute of the game,” Weeks said. “With 12 seconds to go, we had just fouled them but were still down by five. They missed the front end of the foul shot. We rebounded the ball and went down and hit a quick three and called time out. We fouled them again as soon as they put the ball back in play. Again, they missed the foul shot. We got the rebound and went down and banked in a three as the buzzer sounded to win the game.

“Another occurred during my third year at PHS, when the varsity basketball team reached the Final Four at the BJCC in the 2005-2006 season,” Weeks continued. “We had won our area in the regular season and were able to host the area basketball tournament. We won both games in the area tournament and hosted Ider in the sub-regional game. They played a fast style of basketball, but we won that game and moved on to the regional tournament at Jacksonville State University.

“The first game there we played White Plains, which had won 30-plus games already. We came out that night and shot the ball extremely well and won that game fairly handily,” Weeks said. “Two nights later, we go back and play Ranburne, which also had a very good team. We also played well again, shot the ball well and won that game as well.

“So, we had won the Regional Tournament and were headed to Birmingham to the Final Four. This was a very exciting time for our team and community in general. We fell in our first game at the BJCC, but the last few weeks of the season heading into that game were very enjoyable.

“The last memory that I would mention would be my second year as the head varsity football coach at PHS, when we made the playoffs for the first time in school history,” Weeks said. “This would have been the 2007 football season. We had come up short of making the playoffs the two previous seasons by one game … So, with all of the hard work on the part of those players and the coaches on the staff, finally, we were able to make it into the football playoffs for the first time during my second season (as head coach). The region game that clinched it was at East Lawrence. We held a lead for most of the game but did not really put the game away until the fourth quarter. It was a cold night, and I knew the water bath was coming.”

Weeks has been married to Dynette Weeks for 13 years, and they have three children: Elizabeth is 11 and in the sixth grade, Jacob is 9 and in the fourth grade, and Sarabeth is 6 and in the first grade.

“We attend church at Beulah Church of Christ in Vinemont, where I am active teaching Bible classes, and I am the treasurer,” Weeks said. “I am an avid sports fan. I enjoy watching ballgames from most of the major sports. My favorite team is the Auburn Tigers.”

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