School creates family atmosphere for Wauconda teacher
Linda Tayler teaches third grade at Transfiguration School in Wauconda, where she's been for 25 years.
Q: What do you like about teaching in a parochial school? What educational opportunities can you offer in your classroom that might not work in a public school setting?
A: What I love most about teaching in a parochial school is the family atmosphere we are able to achieve. The teachers are able to get to know all the children in a family and feel like part of the family.
The support given to us by our parent organization allows us to buy supplies that supplement our curriculum and enhance many learning experiences. Being able to bring God into class every day, in every subject, is important for character building and is a comfort to students and parents in these turbulent times when children have so many questions and few heroes and role models.
Educationally, our low teacher-student ratio allows me to differentiate learning to meet the needs of my students. Knowing most of the children since they were in preschool makes me familiar with their learning styles to optimize learning.
Q: With the school year drawing to a close, what is your goal for your students as they leave your classroom?
A: My goal for my students is that they leave third grade having gained confidence in math and science. I hope they remember the fun we had while learning - and read, read, read over the summer.
Q: What was your best teaching moment from the past school year and how did you pull it off?
A: One of the best moments this year was participating in "An Hour of Code," where students are introduced to basic computer programming by "building" a computer game program.
Games are so high interest for boys, but it was great to see girls really getting excited about writing these small lines of code. I think this is an area we need to encourage the students to learn more about.
Q: What was the best part of summer vacation when you were in school?
A: The best part of summer when I was young is the still the best part today - just not being on a schedule.
Like all teachers, I will be tweaking lesson plans and inquiry units, but having time to spend with my grandchildren and read a good novel is something I love.