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Even a global pandemic could not stop Ms. Taylor Curry from pursuing her dream of becoming a teacher.

Throughout the school year, Ms. Curry has been working with second grade teacher Mrs. Naylor at Myers Elementary School to get the full experience of becoming a teacher. Curry says, “I am thankful beyond words that I was placed here. This school has an extremely respected reputation, and from my personal experience the entire faculty has exceeded expectations when it comes to being welcoming, friendly, and helpful.”

Ms. Curry has used her time at B-A to develop as a classroom teacher and to begin molding her ideas of what makes an ideal educator and classroom.

Ms. Curry is a Hollidaysburg graduate who attended Penn State Altoona for Early Childhood Education. Ms. Curry wants to become a teacher because she wants to make a difference not only for herself but for her students in the classroom. When she becomes a full-time teacher, she feels she can positively influence her students  now and in the future. 

When the Bellwood-Antis School District went virtual in December and hybrid  at the start of the new year, students had to learn through iPads and online instruction. Just as challenging was the shift in instructional models for B-A’s teachers. You may think that teaching virtually would be hard for a student teacher, but that was not so for Ms. Curry. Even though virtual teaching has many critics, Ms. Curry said it has benefited her and made her more adaptable and flexible in the way she delivers instruction. She now feels like she can take any lesson plan and effectively transfer it into a virtual platform.

To Ms. Curry, teaching through a pandemic was not too difficult  at all, though there have been a few drawbacks. “There are many experiences I would like to provide the students with that just have not been possible.” In a non-pandemic time, Ms. Curry would like to implement more collaborative learning opportunities for her students. 

Many teachers wanna see their students improve their learning experience, and Ms. Curry is no different, but she is also looking beyond that. “The main reason I want to become a teacher is to make a difference,” she said.

Ms. Curry said  she wants to establish a positive environment for her classroom. How will she do that?  “To establish a positive environment in my classroom, I will be sure to use a responsive classroom approach in which students’ social and emotional development are held to the same standard as their academics,” she said. 

Throughout the remainder of the Bellwood-Antis 2020-2021 school year, Ms. Curry plans to stay here at Bellwood-Antis to act as a substitute teacher. 

Good luck to Ms. Taylor Curry and her accomplishment of becoming the teacher she always wanted to be!