Clear-eyed optimism: New Bibb County teachers prep for back-to-school

Truth be told, Alexis Lundy is a bit nervous about the upcoming school year.

So is Leija Stevenson.

Both are among Bibb County’s first-year teachers set to take over their own classrooms when students report for classes on Aug. 3.
In a profession that demands a tremendous investment of time and heart, both are excited about the challenges that lie ahead in the 2026-2027 school year. 

And make no mistake; there will be challenges.
Two years ago, a nationwide survey by the Pew Research Center highlighted exactly what they’re up against. Researchers asked 2,531 public school teachers, grades K-12, how they felt about their jobs. Nearly 70% said the profession is overwhelming; 77% said it’s frequently stressful; just more than half said they wouldn’t advise a young person starting out today to become a teacher.

Still, despite these sobering statistics, Lundy and Stevenson expect the job will pay big emotional dividends in breakthrough moments with students.

“I’m just excited to meet the kids, to be that person that they can come to,” Lundy said.

Lundy and Stevenson are joining a district that will welcome more than 20,000 students next week as a new academic year gets underway.

Lundy is an incoming math teacher at Howard Middle School. Stevenson was hired as a music teacher at Lane Elementary.

Stevenson said she’s looking forward to figuring out how to navigate the music curriculum.

Beyond standard lesson planning, educators at all levels are adapting to rapidly changing technology. More than half of teachers in the state use generative artificial intelligence to perform daily tasks, according to a state audit.

However, student use of artificial intelligence is one of the biggest challenges that Lundy expects to face, given how widespread the technology is.

In a separate Pew survey released earlier this year, more than half of teens say they have used AI to search for information or get help with school work.

It’s a brave new world for educators, even seasoned ones.
At the same time, said Reagan Mason, it’s still about establishing one-on-one connections. Mason, a resource teacher at Heard Elementary School, taught for a year at a private school in Canton, north of Atlanta, before transferring to Bibb County.

Growing up, she said, she had teachers who would “go the extra mile” for her. She wants to do that now for her students.

She moved to Macon to be closer to her brother at Mercer University and will shift from teaching the older kids in elementary school to kindergarten through second grade.

“Kindergarten is just a whole other world,” she said.

She’s tried to prepare herself by watching Instagram reels, YouTube videos or TikToks about different teaching strategies.

Lawrence Matthews, a soon-to-be social studies teacher at Appling Middle School, said being a teacher can be a “thankless job,” but he liked how much appreciation the district has shown so far in its orientation session.

He’s been teaching for four years now. He remembers his first year in the classroom being “kind of scary.”

He said he tries to come in prepared every day to deal with the different personalities, and that it’s the everyday challenges that prove to be rewarding.

The newly dubbed Bibb County Teacher of the Year, Amy Gitschlag, teaches English at Southwest High School. She said fresh teachers should make time for themselves.

“Don’t overdo the job because, if you can’t take care of yourself, you can’t pour into the students,” she added.

Brandarrius Herron, a ninth grade environmental science teacher at Howard High School, used to work with the animals at the Museum of Arts and Sciences before joining the school district last December.

When Herron was in school, teachers set him on the right path when he got in trouble. Now, he hopes to give back to the community and have a stronger impact.

“There’s no better feeling than at the end of the year when they’re leaving,” he said. “All the kids wanted to run up and hug me or give me a handshake and what not.”

In those moments and others, it’s clear he’s made a difference.

“I wouldn’t swap careers for the world,” Herron said.