Batavia’s Scott Bayer took circuitous path to teaching, relishes coaching and teaching as ‘who you are’

BATAVIA – Scott Bayer’s pathway to teaching is anything but the ordinary journey.

Bayer, a Batavia High School history teacher and varsity girls wrestling coach, took perhaps a bit of a scenic route to his life’s calling for the past 18 years and counting.

“I absolutely did not know I was going to go the teaching route,” Bayer said. “In fact, I didn’t get into teaching until I was almost 30.”

Bayer took history classes as a student at Monmouth College, but didn’t have a certification in teaching. The NCAA All-American wrestler took his first post-college job as a sales recruiter.

“And then for the better part of seven years, I always tell my students I was a corporate spy,” Bayer said. “I did what they called ‘competitive intelligence’ and consulting and research. … My first career was in business.

“I didn’t feel I was doing anything, No. 1, [that] made me qualitatively better as a professional. I wasn’t using my mind, I didn’t feel like, and I also didn’t think I was bettering humanity in any way.”

Walking his dog around the blocks all those numerous times eventually sparked Bayer’s next chapter – earning his teaching certificate at Roosevelt University.

“What I used to do, I used to do a job. I can separate my career and persona. I think what teaching is: It’s not just what you do, it’s who you are,” Bayer said. “If I didn’t think that, I would never be able to spend the time that I do doing this job. It kind of defines you. I’m lucky to have a spouse that understands that, respects that and allows me that degree of investment.”

By 2005, he interviewed at Batavia. The rest, well, was history. Bayer, who also served as an assistant and later head varsity wrestling coach for the boys program for nine years, has had the chance to shape students beyond a textbook or classroom discussion.

This time on the mat.

“He was really, really strict about the whole idea of you’re a student first and athlete second,” said Joe Posledni, a former four-year varsity wrestler and 2017 team captain for Bayer at Batavia. Posledni soon will be a special education teacher at the high school.

“He always talked about how important academics were,” Posledni said. “He was the first person to make sure we were all being the best students we could be. He’s always there to help out and always making sure we had the help we needed if we needed it.”

The impact Bayer had as a teacher and coach wasn’t lost on Seth Winkle, a 2017 Batavia graduate and wrestling team captain under Bayer.

“One thing I always really admired about Bayer is how direct and honest he is with the kids,” Winkle said. “He kind of wears his heart on his sleeve a little bit. He pushes people to think about things differently, which I always really appreciated about him.”

While it’s been an “interesting couple of years” as a social studies teacher for Bayer, he knows “that work still matters” – as does his role with girls high school wrestling.

“We are in a space where civic education is more needed than ever,” Bayer said. “There are forces right now trying to destroy democracy and civic education, and as hard as it’s been to be on the front lines of that, I still know it’s important work.”