Taylor Borchers: Taylor Borchers has been working to become an elementary school teacher

Ever since she was in first grade and being taught how to do simple addition and grammar, senior Taylor Borchers has had her heart set on becoming a teacher.

The way that her teachers helped each kid in her class in everything from art to math to science began her obsession with becoming a teacher.

“I’ve always kind of known that I wanted to be a teacher,” Borchers said “When I was younger, I really looked up to all my teachers. It was always kind of in the back of my head.”

Now, Borchers will be attending the University of Arkansas to pursue a degree in elementary education.

Last year, Borchers was introduced to the newly founded teacher education program taught by Samantha Feinberg and Susan Leonard. 

“[Feinberg and Leonard] are my two favorite people,” said Borchers, “I look up to them a lot. And they have a lot of wisdom about teaching and you can tell that they love it.”

Now she spends her seventh hours helping out students, especially third graders at different elementary schools all across the East district.

Borchers is currently taking Teacher Education 2, a class consisting of little time sitting in a high school classroom. Instead, on block days, the students shadow teachers at different elementary schools in the East area like Highlands and Briarwood.

When Borchers and the other students are in class at East, they spend most of their time working on mock lesson plans or assignments as well as learning about diversity in teaching or in the classroom.

“[It’s about] learning about different learners,” said Borchers “And how your lesson plans around those different learners.”

Borchers worked with primarily fifth graders last year, but has worked with mostly third graders this year. Borchers prefers working with younger students because they’re less independent and need more guidance than older kids.

“So I feel like just building relationships with students [is the most rewarding part],” Borchers said. “And getting to know them as people and as learners, you really get to spend a lot of time with them.”

She’s looking forward to feeling less like a student and more like a teacher in college.

“I feel like I’ll feel a little more official,” Borchers said. “Not as a high school student entering an elementary classroom, but instead as a college student, as an actual student teacher.”