“This is the hardest thing I have to do, to walk away from you guys. Even just for a little while.”
It’s always hard to say goodbye, even if it is temporary. On October 4, Fillmore Central High School had to say a temporary goodbye to a loved teacher who has been deployed to the Middle East.
Brandi Mayer — also known as Profe — has been teaching at Fillmore Central for the past four years as a Spanish teacher. In addition to being a Spanish teacher, Mayer also serves in the United States National Guard. She is an Aviation Operation Specialist; basically that means she is a 911 dispatcher for the National Guard.
At the age of 14, Mayer knew she wanted to be a part of the National Guard. She said that at this age she saw all these conflicts in the Middle East; that’s when she knew she wanted to enlist. Before deciding that she wanted to be a part of the National Guard, she wanted to be a teacher. In 2015, she made part of her dream a reality and enlisted in the National Guard. Now she gets to be both of the things she aspired to be, a teacher and a soldier.
On the 4th, Fillmore Central held a send-off program to show their support and love for Mayer. At the program — with many tears shed from students and staff — the band and choir performed, and multiple speeches were given. The main speech was from Mayer herself. She expressed her love for the community, staff, and students. She made remarks about how her students are her children and that leaving the school for her 400-day deployment is one of the hardest things she must do.
She talked about some of her favorite moments at Fillmore Central, “There are honestly too many to count, but I got really excited when I had a student walk in and say that she was really skeptical about my new teaching style… but she then she was able to understand what was happening in 90 Day Fiancé and could tell what was said without reading the captions, I was like, ‘Okay I’m doing something right.’”
After the program, many students stayed after to say their “see you laters” and gave their thanks to Mayer for her service. There was a poster that everyone at Fillmore Central had signed to give to her. Everyone put their name and little messages for Mayer for her to bring along on her deployment.
Students were also encouraged by Mayer to use a hashtag on Instagram that she wants them to use so she can stay updated. #KeepingUpWithProfe2020 is used for students and staff to post life updates, achievements, or just everyday things so Mayer can stay in touch on the daily things with her students and co-workers. Since Mayer announced the hashtag, there are already many posts using it.
Brandi, everyone in this community is wishing the best of luck to you and thank you for your dedication to serving not only our county, but also our community as a teacher, a co-worker, a friend, and also as a soldier.
Leave a Reply