Jeff Wright, raised in Mexia, Texas, could not imagine that one day he would be retiring from his long time job of teaching public school in our small town. He never would have guessed that in the future, he would meet and change the lives of many students here.

Wright will retire on Wednesday, May 24.

“When I came here, I didn’t know anybody in Fairfield. I’d lived in Mexia, I’d grown up in Mexia, and everything was about Mexia, and now this has become my home. And I don’t ever see myself leaving Fairfield now, and that’s because of the schools, and what the schools have done for me,” Wright said. “I just want to say what a privilege it is, and how much I love and appreciate having an opportunity to come to Fairfield to be a part of this community.”

Wright started teaching here as a Spanish teacher for the junior high. Students at the high school still call him Señor Wright.

“I’ve always had a good relationship with the students and in my class, we try to have fun and laugh a lot,” Wright said. “I just enjoy the kids we have here and being around them.”

Wright will begin teaching at Faith Academy, a local Christian Private school.  

“Faith Academy is a much smaller school, it has a four day school week, so it’s going to be a different experience, I think. I’m a part time pastor now,” Wright said. “My ultimate goal is to be a full time pastor in the ministry, and that is what I’m looking towards.”

Wright has taught here for 24 years. 

“There have been quite a few students over the years that have left an impression on me that I’m still in touch with, that I still talk to. I do anywhere from about 3 to 8 weddings a year for former students when they get married, as a pastor,” Wright said. “There have been a lot of students  that mean a lot to me, I would have a hard time naming just one or two because there are so many that, in their own way, make an impression. They help me learn things too, so I enjoy being around them.”