Although she is feared by many and intimidated by none, there is a lot more to the Weavinator than meets the eye. With pure words like silk within the casing of honesty, she simply has a heart made of gold.

Mrs. Andrea Weaver is known for being the best of the best when it comes down to teaching English 2 and English 2 Honors. Freshman and sophomores alike tremble when they see the legend’s name on their schedule. As any newcomer would do, they ask around about the Weavinator in hope to find some sliver of hope in passing her rigorous course. Few in the university and I.B. realm get to experience Mrs. Weaver’s lively classroom.

Most that have crossed paths with the legend would find it hard to believe that she is now in her 22nd year of teaching. The natural born legacy of Mrs. Weaver had to start somewhere. Something within had to spark the eternal flame. But she didn’t always want to be a teacher.

“My first major in college was marine biology at USF, and I did not do so well in biology. I got an F, so I figured I must find another profession major that didn’t involve math,” Weaver said.

Indeed, Mrs. Weaver’s students know of her slim to none fondness of math.

Mrs. Weaver changed her major during her sophomore year in college. “Well, then I decided to become an English teacher because I had lots of A’s in English. I was really good at English, and I really wanted to work with kids, so I combined the two and I became an English teacher. I took secondary English education at USF,” she said.

In the fall of 1994, Mrs. Weaver’s young life touched down at Lakewood High School where she soon came face to face with the struggles of being a new teacher on foreign ground.

A lot of trials and tribulations came along with the job, and things got harder nonetheless. “Learning the curriculum and learning how to become a good teacher was the hardest. I was left largely alone at my new job and you just did your thing,” Weaver said.

She believes that parents now are more involved and supportive of their students and their education.

A teacher who had to stand on her own two feet and find her way has built a foundation that leaves parents and students across the county in awe over the course of these 22 years. The Weavinator, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, but in this case… makes you smarter.

The Weavinator is a teacher who puts the kids before herself to bring them to an unheard level of learning. The key, although, was not to just get them through English 2, but to get them to have a deeper connection with what they’re learning and working on.

“I enjoy about the time we get to October. October is my favorite because they lose that nervousness, they get comfortable with the class, and they realize that it’s not as bad as their peers might have told them. We get the ball rolling, and the kids get more comfortable with it. I think that the upperclassmen like to scare the underclassmen by exaggerating claims about how difficult this class is, but it takes them till about October to realize that this class is a lot more fun and a lot more entertaining than they thought it was going to be,” she said.

The miraculous thing is that The Weavinator’s yearning for learning never ceases—she wants to go back to school. A teacher of her caliber still sees the need to step up her game on her already high intellectual level. Her mind is like the numbers in math: never ending.

A comeback to school seems out of the ordinary, but for The Weavinator it doesn’t even come close.

“Yes, I might still go back. I was thinking about getting my PhD in English, so I’d thought I’d go back and take some advanced Shakespeare classes at the doctorate level and start working on my PhD,” Weaver said.

It’s unbelievable how someone who is already so qualified for her occupation still has the fire to want and learn more in her practice.

The joy in her golden heart always had a spot for children. That’s what holds everything together.

“[Sometimes] kids have such a tough time in my class; they complain about how hard it is. Then they come back as juniors, seniors, or graduates and they say, ‘Thank you – your class prepared me for AP, your class prepared me for college, your class was the only class that I wrote a full research paper and learned MLA.’ So to me they think it’s so hard and they think it’s so awful but they don’t see the payoff till the long term and to me that’s worth it. They finally get it,” she said.

She believes that anything is possible; you just need a little push.

“I want my kids to be successful. I want more for my kids than they want for themselves,” Weaver said.

Yes, she sees her own students as children of her own. In her last words for the readers and viewers abroad, “Life’s too short to wear ugly shoes.”