Teacher Spotlight: Mr. Headley

I got the privilege of interviewing Mr. Headley about his personal and work life on Tuesday, October 28, 2025. He is my teacher for AP United States History and I wanted to bring a spotlight onto him so we can learn more about him beyond his great teaching. I asked a series of questions to get to know more about Mr. Headley. 

Q: Why did you want to teach at Mayfair?

A: “Great question, I started my teaching career in Monrovia High School, and I don’t live very close to Monrovia. So, at the time I lived in Costa Mesa and then I moved to Huntington Beach. I really liked it there, but the drive was too far so I wanted to find something a little closer to home. I was really close to getting a job at the high school I graduated from, but that fell through and I just looked for other opportunities around. I wanted to coach and Mayfair had an opportunity for a head soccer coach position, so I applied and I got the job. I had never heard of Mayfair, I wasn’t really familiar with the area, but I looked into it a little bit and it seemed like a good place to be. So I am glad I did. Twenty something years later, I am happy that I decided to come over here.”

Q: What did you do prior to working here?

A: “So, I worked in Monrovia like I said for three years. I taught history and was a soccer coach there as well. Prior to that, I had a non-teaching job. I graduated from college and I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do — definitely did not want to be a teacher. I did not have that on my horizon. But one of the things that I was doing was coaching. I was coaching little kids with soccer and I realized that I really liked it and enjoyed working with young people. I started working straight out of college and my job was horrible, I hated it. I didn’t want to do this for the rest of my life because I knew I would not have a fun life if I stayed. So after I realized that I liked working with younger people, I went back to college and got my teaching credential. I got it and have been teaching ever since.”

Q: What is your favorite class that you have taught currently or in the past?

A: “That’s a great question, so I have taught most of the subject in the history department. I’ve taught Geography, U.S. History, but I haven’t taught World History or Economics. But I also taught government, but I really enjoy anything U.S. history based. That is definitely my field, but I really enjoy the new classes I am teaching this year. I am teaching U.S. History courses, Ethnic Studies, and African American Studies courses. They have all been great. But, anything in the U.S. is my thing.”

Q: What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced so far as a teacher?

A: “Cell phones. So, I really like the new rules the state of California has put into place. I think cell phones are great, I love mine, everyone loves theirs, but it has been a real struggle in the classroom because we don’t want everyone staring at a TikTok video instead of learning about certain things. So, the fact that we have rules that allow us to really enforce them, has been easier and it’s been nice that the students do follow them too. Other than that, I usually have good students in my class and I don’t really have problems.”

Q: What is a memorable moment you’ve had during your time here so far?

A: “Well, I developed a lot of really strong relationships with a lot of students, largely through soccer. I coached soccer for 25 years here and some of those boys that were my players years ago, they’re grown men with families and I am actually still in touch with a lot of them now. I still hang out with a lot of those former students. One of the things that we did that I was really proud of with the soccer team was that we did this charity called Saint Baldrick’s. So what we did is that we raised money for children who had childhood cancer. This organization’s purpose is to raise money to put it towards cures for childhood cancer. One of the things we do with the boys that are interested in it, is that we raise a bunch of money and if we meet our goal, we all shave our heads in solidarity with the kids that didn’t have a choice, so that was great.”

Q: What do you do during your summer breaks?

A: “Travel, I spend a lot of time traveling. My wife and I had a camper van for about five years and we would travel all over the place. Ever since I started teaching, that is something I really spend a lot of my money and time doing. I mean summer, you have two months off so we usually go somewhere and do something pretty big. I also enjoy hiking and going out into the mountains. In the winter time, I ski; in the summer time, I go out there and hike and enjoy my time in the wilderness.”

Q: Since you’re a history teacher, what are some historical events you think are relevant today?

A: “Well, I mean COVID for sure, we are beyond that but that was a historical moment everyone remembers. I don’t want to get too political with some of the stuff that is going on but, some of the world events that are happening like Ukraine and Russia as well as the situation with the Israelis and Gaza. I think those will for sure be in the history books. Just some of the political discourse we see in society right now is definitely something that is abnormal and I think that will be something that will be heavily analyzed by historians in the future. The entire Trump administration, obviously. So, it should be interesting to see how history takes a look at that after all the dust has settled.”

Q: Lastly, what have you enjoyed most about this school year so far?

A: “I enjoy teaching my new classes and getting out of my comfort zone. I have been teaching the same classes for so long I can teach it with my eyes closed. Teaching a subject matter that is new to me, like AP African American Studies class has been great. The different way of teaching U.S. history with the ethnic studies lens has also been fun. I am actually having to put in some work outside of the school day, so it’s been good that it has been challenging me. Again, it takes me out of my comfort level which I have been super open about.”

Thank you Mr. Headley for allowing me to interview you. I had a great time learning more about him not just inside of the classroom, but outside as well. He is an amazing teacher and I am glad that I have the opportunity to be a part of one of his classes during my years at Mayfair. Stay tuned to The WindJammer for more future updates!

Image Courtesy of Mr. Headley.