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While walking through the halls of Bellwood-Antis’ Myers Elementary school it’s not uncommon to hear singing coming from the rooms. Mrs. Tara Naylor’s is no exception.

Mrs. Naylor starts the day off with a morning song and works her way into a brief plan of the day. With her helper bee they jump right into the first lesson of the day and it’s a smooth (usually) ride from there.

She has been a teacher for thirteen years, though not all of them have been spent at Bellwood.

“I’ve taught ten years of second grade at Bellwood and two years teaching first grade in Bellefonte,” she said.  “My first year of teaching was subbing in Altoona and that was mostly kindergarten.”

“Kids are full of surprises.”

Part of a big family, she grew up surrounded by children and always enjoyed working with them; kids are fun to be around, she said.

Mrs. Naylor graduated from Bishop Guilfoyle in 1998, attended Penn State-Altoona then moved on up to University Park to finish off her schooling in 2002.

“I didn’t necessarily want to teach second grade but I’ve found great qualities for each age of children,” she said.  “But, I absolutely LOVED second graders.”

She had to add on that she truly enjoys the team of teachers that support her.

There are also challenges.

“One of the hardest things about being a teacher is time. Time is always a challenge,” Mrs. Naylor said.  “So much to teach, not enough time.”

Teaching has it’s upsides though.

“Teaching presents something new each day. I love having a job that allows me to raise a family. Holidays, weekends, and summers are special times for family.”