Feature Teacher: Miss Seydel

Bryce Graham

Miss Seydel is a student teacher from Penn State teaching physics with Ms. Flarend.

Jami Daley, Staff Writer

Tons of kids want to be a teacher when they are young. But when they thing about it, it’s normally them standing in front of a classroom telling kids to recite the alphabet and add 2+2.

Odds are you didn’t ever think you would be a high school physics teacher. That’s exactly what student teacher Miss Seydel is studying to be.

“I always, even when I was young, kind of wanted to be a teacher,” said Miss Seydel. “At first I thought I wanted to be an elementary school teacher. And then in high school I took AP physics and I really really enjoyed it.”

Miss Seydel is the student for Bellwood-Antis’ physics teacher Mrs. Flarend.

“She came in as an incredibly strong student teacher. She’s been fantastic right from the beginning,” said Mrs. Flarend. “She has improved on how to ask better questions so that the students understand what she’s asking so that you get really good deep answers.”

Miss Seydel is getting her education at Penn State in University Park. Her major is secondary education: physics. She said she decided to study physics because she felt a connection to her high school physics class. Her teacher made it fun and taught it well, and she hopes to do the same for her future students.

Coming from the large town of Abington, and being in a graduating class of over 600 people, Miss Seydel said she wouldn’t mind teaching at a school like Bellwood or a larger one like Altoona.

“I think I would be happy at either sized school. There’s different things that I like about both of them. I don’t think I have a preference,” she said.

Miss Seydel said her favorite thing about Bellwood was getting to know all the students and staff, and observing the way Mrs. Flarend teaches.

“The best thing has been getting to know everyone. I went to a really big high school so the atmosphere is completely different. Seeing how much of a close-knit and tight of a community it is has been really neat.”

Miss Seydel will complete she student teaching in April.