Lauren Estes-Velez, Hartselle Enquirer

From piano playing to lawn care to teaching his first-grade class, it would seem nothing is too much for Eva Elementary teacher Will Weaver to handle.

Growing up in the town of Eva, Weaver said he knew the importance of community support. That support is something he tries to mirror in his classroom with his students – caring, inspiring and teaching them.  

“I knew I wanted to be a teacher when I stepped into my seventh-grade science class,” Weaver said. “I had Rhonda Hudson in the old school under the library. Mrs. Hudson was the type of teacher who made it exciting for you to come to school, and she wanted you to learn. She was the type of teacher (with whom) every lesson was hands-on, and you had fun. She cared about you and your learning.”

Weaver said although his mother was a school teacher at the time, she had only been teaching for three years, “so teaching was not in my blood,” he explained. “Mrs. Hudson helped me realize that teaching was what I wanted to do.”

Weaver attended Eva School for kindergarten through eighth grade. He graduated from Brewer High School in 2008 before pursuing his college degree to become a teacher.

The process to get his first teaching job was neither quick nor easy.

“After high school, I attended Wallace State at Hanceville and then transferred to Athens State in 2010,” Weaver said. “When I turned 21, I began driving the school bus to help pay my way through college. I graduated from Athens in 2012 with a Bachelor of Science in elementary education. After graduating from Athens, I was offered a position at Brewer High School.

“While working at BHS, I also worked as a classroom aide for two and a half years. After many attempts at getting hired as a teacher, I enrolled at the University of West Alabama to pursue my master’s degree in 6-12 special education.”  

In the fall of 2016, he was hired at Eva School as a kindergarten teacher.

“I am now in my second year of teaching, and I teach first grade,” Weaver said. “I enjoy working with the students and the faculty at Eva. They make coming to work enjoyable.”

Weaver said he’s already made many memories, but one specifically stands out to him because of the comedy behind it.

“A memory that I will always look back on is when I took my students to the library for their library time. I went back to the library to get them, and one of my students was calling out a name that I didn’t understand,” Weaver said. “He kept calling it out, and I finally understood that he was saying, ‘Hey, Mr. Weezer!’ instead of Mr. Weaver. Now, I have the nickname with my peers of Weezer at school.”

Teaching is not the only thing that keeps Weaver busy at Eva School, as he is still actively engaged in what started his involvement in the school system.

“Driving the school bus was just the beginning of my school career,” Weaver said. “I still drive the bus, even though I am in the classroom. I substitute for the bus drivers here at Eva. I also drive the basketball team to the away ballgames and help run the concession stand at the home games. In June 2016 I was named the Alabama State School Bus Road-E-O Champion.”

All teachers have a life outside the classroom. Weaver keeps a busy schedule during the summer months, as well as after school hours.

“Outside of school, I enjoy working in my yard, spending time with my family and friends and traveling,” Weaver said. “I also enjoy seeing historical sites, such as the Confederate monuments and Civil War-era memorabilia.”

He owns a small lawn care service that keeps him busy after school and during the summer, and “I am active in the Eva community and my church, Eva Baptist, where I play the piano.”

Although Weaver already has completed two degrees, he has set a goal for himself to seek another for the future.

“I would like to be able to return to college and earn a degree in instructional leadership,” Weaver said. “This would allow me to become a principal one day. It would also allow me to continue growing as an educator. I hope that after the 2018-2019 school year, I will be able to do that.”

Many aspects of being in education drive Weaver’s passion for his job, but he said the moments when his students truly grasp what he is teaching are what makes it all worth it to him.

“I love seeing my students learn new thing,” he said. “I love when the lightbulb comes on and they are like, ‘Hey! I get it!’”