New English teacher Stephen Fairbanks has found his home this year as the newest member of the St. Louis U. High English Department. Fairbanks demonstrated his love for literature and teaching throughout the hiring process, which led him to securing his new role.

^{Fairbanks recieves communion.  photo | Kathy Chott}

“We want someone who has some high school experience—that is said on the job advertisement that we send out. So, someone who is interested in teaching high school, who wants to work with this set of grades and kind of work in this environment,” said English Department Chair Jennifer Carroll.

The English Department was happy to find Fairbanks. 

“He had a passion and an enthusiasm for literature that fit what we hope to convey for the students, he talked about a whole range of books, things that he was reading, things that he had read, things that he was thinking about, and his approach to literature and reading, and his love of books was evident,” said Carroll. 

Fairbanks was ready to take on this role from the beginning, as evident from his enthusiasm going into the school year. 

“My hope is that because I'm excited about teaching great books and teaching my students how to write and think that translates to something that they can remember,” said Fairbanks. “I hope that I have a classroom that they feel comfortable and confident in.”

Fairbanks has had an easy time settling into his new environment at SLUH, becoming more accompanied with the classes and other faculty.

“The administration, my fellow teachers, the English Department specifically, and the two teams that I'm working on, are incredibly supportive,” said Fairbanks. “They really want me to just focus on getting comfortable in the classroom and making the classes mine while also still meeting the requirements of the school and the department, providing me with everything that I need for achieving that and feeling comfortable.”

Beyond teaching English, Fairbanks has a big passion for volleyball and basketball.

“I wanted to be a teacher and a coach, kind of my whole life,” said Fairbanks. “I'm hoping to coach volleyball this year and then hoping to eventually be able to support the basketball program as well. Those are both sports that I've coached previously in my life. I'm really excited to be at a school where sports is a theme. At my last school, we didn't have sports.”

Fairbanks believes the welcoming environment of SLUH sets it apart from other places he’s been.

“Everybody who saw me walking down the hall would stop, come over, ask me how I was doing, and go out of their way to make me feel welcome,” said Fairbanks. “From the custodial staff to the librarians, to the administration to Fr. Stewart, to the teachers who I hadn't met yet. It's an ongoing experience of really feeling well, feeling welcome and really feeling like if I need anything, there are tons of people I can ask.”

All of this overwhelming love that he saw at SLUH made him realize that he made the right choice of where to go. 

 “I feel like I found a home,” said Fairbanks. “And I hope that this is my last teaching job. So, I’ll be at SLUH a couple years, sure, but I'm thinking more along the lines of 15 or so, at least.”