Kimberly Ulmer nominated Linda Taylor for Class Acts. Ulmer said Taylor is dedicated and assesses each child's needs and helps them learn in their own way. Taylor is kind, patient and understanding and always makes time to talk with parents in order to build a strong team to help her students, Ulmer said.
• Name: Linda Taylor
• Age: 58
• City of residence: Modesto
• Occupation: Third-grade GATE (gifted and talented education) teacher and school community garden coordinator at El Vista Elementary
• Family: Grandson, Jonathan, and cat, Beauty
• Education background: Modesto Junior College and California State University, Fresno
• Teaching experience: Special education at Howard Training Center and Kennedy School for almost one year; then training new ROP students during my 14-year employment with the banking industry. My public school experience has been 19 years at El Vista Elementary. There I have taught regular third- and fourth-grade classes. The past three years, I have been privileged to teach third-grade GATE scholars and establish the learning center at my school.
Why did you get into teaching?
Teaching has always been a passion of mine. When I originally received my secondary credential, there were no teaching jobs due to an abundance of applicants. It wasn't until 1989 that I quit the banking profession and moved back to Fresno to change my credential to elementary. I had been talking to my daughter's teacher, Sabina Fink, at Beard Elementary. She convinced me that my real profession should be teaching because I talked so much about it.
What is your favorite thing about being a teacher?
My favorite thing is what I call the aha moments. This is when a child truly understands a hard concept that they have been working really hard to master. The child just seems to light up, and their eyes glow.
What is the most challenging part of your job?
Primary teachers must teach several subjects. The time it takes to prepare for this in order to make everything challenging and interesting is incredible. Teachers must select the appropriate materials for the several learning abilities of all of their students.
What is the most important lesson you've learned?
That teaching is a team effort. The first thing that must be done in a school year is to develop a partnership with the parents of the students. Then the children really know that their education and school is important.
What is your favorite teaching tool or activity?
Teaching problem-solving in mathematics. At the beginning of the school year, I teach my students many different ways to solve word problems. Their favorite strategy is to draw a picture or diagram. Students are very creative while working on this. They love to come up in front of the class to share their solutions using the projector.
What's next in your classroom?
We will be taking the skills that have been learned and apply them to create research projects and presentations. The scholars will learn how to summarize information that they have obtained from books and computers. They will need to extract the information needed to complete the project. Then they will need to draw or find diagrams or pictures for their presentation.
What advice do you have for students?
The key to being a successful student is to get organized. Know where to find the materials you need and put them back in the right place. This is especially important when you start having more difficult homework. Before going to school every morning, check to make sure that you have everything you need, and that it is completed.
RSS
E-Mail
Print
reprint or license
