Staff Spotlight: Stockbridge teacher, Corey Baird, prepares students to make an impact on the world

Corey Baird finds it rewarding to watch his former students grow through their four years in high school and to observe them, from afar, as they make an impact on the world after graduating.

by Amy Haggerty

Learning social studies in high school is not only a requirement but also a necessity to becoming a well-rounded citizen. As a ninth grader at Stockbridge High School and in order to graduate, students need to take US History, and they will learn from the best and most knowledgeable teacher: Corey Baird.

Baird said he wanted to become a teacher because he “wanted to make a difference.” Now, this 20-year veteran educator also teaches an elective, hands-on class for serious students who need a teacher recommendation: Leadership.

Baird comes to the area from Ionia, Mich. He graduated from MSU in 1998 with a bachelor’s degree, and subsequently earned a master’s degree in Curriculum and Teaching.

Baird credits several past teachers for influencing his life, including Mrs. Palmer and Mr. Ramsey. He also credited several retired teachers from Stockbridge High School: Jim Brown, Debi Corts, Debi Overby, and Amy Haggerty.

He enjoys working with high-school teens and feels they are “open-minded and trying to find their place in the world.” Baird adds, “They have lots of energy and have not had a lifetime of potential difficulties to wear them down.”

Baird married his college sweetheart and has found Diane to be “the most patient and understanding woman on the planet.” They will be married 22 years in October and have two children; Paul, 14, an 8th grader in Stockbridge; and Ellen, 9, in 4th grade at Heritage School.

Baird says he chose to teach in Stockbridge because he and his wife wanted to be closer to family and become part of a community that had a high school with 500 to 1,000 students.

The best thing about teaching in Stockbridge, Baird said, is the staff. “I have always had very hard-working, passionate, progressive, caring colleagues to work with.” In addition, he mentioned, “People care about each other and the students.”

Baird was chosen as the graduation speaker this past year and has served as Homecoming Parade Grand Marshal. He treasures the many cards, letters, emails, and text messages he has received throughout the years from former students thanking him for helping them. He finds it rewarding to watch his former students grow through their four years in high school and to observe them, from afar, as they make an impact on the world after graduating.

Baird passes along great advice to his current and former students:

“There is a big difference between saying you can’t do something and you won’t do something!” he says. “Can’t means you’re incapable of doing it. Won‘t means you will not, and that is a choice.”

Corey Baird

He also advises students to “put your phones away and enjoy life! Life is passing you by.”