TEACHER FEATURE Mrs. Gabby Gilson Mr. MATTHEW Gilson &

Health Teacher Head Girls Basketball Coach Assistant Girls Soccer Coach

Fairhope High School

Who, specifically, in your life influenced your decision to become a teacher?

Gabby: My dad was the biggest influence in my life to become a teacher. Growing up, when I wasn’t at school, I was always with my dad in his classroom or at his practices. I was able to watch him interact with his students and players and learn from an early age the impact a teacher and coach can have.

Matt: My wrestling coach and my wife were big influences in my decision to become a teacher. From 2007-2012 my coach would constantly strive to make a change in everyone’s life whether it be helping motivate them for their next game or match, or being someone that we could talk to in times of need. My wife, always drawn to teaching, urged and motivated me to consider teaching while also coaching wrestling.

What is your biggest challenge as a teacher?

Gabby: I think the biggest challenge is keeping kids motivated all year. Teaching high school students, it can be hard keeping them engaged and focused all year. Typically, in the spring when summer break and graduation are knocking on the door.

Matt: I agree with Gabby that the biggest challenge is motivation. Some students will start off the year great, but as winter break slowly approaches, their attention begins to diminish.

10th Grade Physical Science Teacher Assistant Wrestling Coach

Fairhope High School

What do you feel is the biggest reward?

Gabby: By far the biggest reward is watching kids master a new skill. To see them learn something new is exciting but to continue to watch them work to understand and grasp the concept is rewarding.

Matt: My biggest reward is seeing students start to grasp the concepts that we are covering in each unit. You are able to watch as students who initially struggled with the concept slowly start to grasp the idea until they have completely mastered it.

How do you make learning fun for your students?

Gabby: Teaching Health, we can do a lot of hands-on projects to make learning fun. One example, students can become CPR certified during the semester and can practice their CPR skills on mannequins.

Matt: Labs, breakout rooms, and projects. We use labs heavily when we are in the chemistry portion of my classes while projects are used more during the physics portion of my classes. Finally, the breakout rooms are card games in which groups of students are racing against the clock and each other to crack a scientific code that changes with each different unit.

STORY BY MELINDA MCGHEE // PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEPHEN SAVAGE

Geoffrey describes himself as a people person and his brother, Jared, as an excellent businessman. "What makes it work is that neither of us step into the other one's sandbox. I trust him to do the right thing for our business and he trusts me to do the same."

The brothers are custom builders with an emphasis on architectural homes and renovations. Working with the best craftsman and tradesman in the area gives them the ability to build some truly magnificent homes.

The thing Geoffrey and Jared love most is watching something that people have spent many years working for come to life. "Seeing that beautiful design come to life and watching many talented hands put it together is one of the most rewarding things to be part of." It was a natural fit for these brothers to become partners in business…they have just always been a team. Good or bad, no matter how difficult the situation, they always have each other to lean on.

The secret to success for the Cochrans is perseverance. They share that there have been plenty of failures and many days giving up would have been easy. "In the end, our mindset is to get up and just keep punching!" Their greatest accomplishment is their repeat customers. For Geoffrey and Jared, there is no higher compliment than to have a customer hire them to do a second and sometimes a third project.

If he had the opportunity to go back and give a younger version of himself some advice about this business, Geoffrey would tell him to be patient…."The race is long and there are going to be many obstacles. A bad reputation rides a thoroughbred, and a good one rides a donkey. Don’t skip steps and do it the right way….Your time will come."