Bethany Major: Elementary Education
Employment: Sixth Grade Teacher at Hills Beaver Creek Elementary School
What you do: As a teacher, I get the opportunity to promote educational, emotional, and personal growth in my students. I get the awesome chance to help shape their future, encouraging them and showing them their capability. It is such a rewarding position. For every tough day, there are 10 great days full of laughter and special moments that make me excited to enter the classroom each and every day.
What inspires you: The teaching field always had my interest. My parents are both teachers and I spent many days after school and on the weekends in their school rooms. I got to hear the good, the bad, and the ugly about what being a teacher entails and knowing all this, I knew it was something I could thrive in. What truly inspires me to teach is knowing I get the chance to show kids what they’re made of. I get to be a consistent leader in their life that hopefully leaves a lasting affect along the way. I love getting to know the hearts of my students and seeing their success and helping them through areas of growth.
How you want to make a difference: A part of me is hoping to get my masters and eventually my PhD to allow me to be a professor of education. My professors at Bethany became such a huge part of my life in my time here. I know they had my back, and I knew I could talk with them openly about anything because they were there to support me. That made me want to be able to take on that position as well. I have so much respect for professors I had during my time at Bethany, and I think getting the chance to personally teach at Bethany would be a really neat full circle experience.
How Bethany prepared you: I cannot stress enough the greatness of BLC. I was encouraged, challenged, supported, and given individualized attention; something you don’t always get at a bigger school. I loved the community of campus. I made relationships I will always treasure because they helped shape me into a version of myself that I am proud of. I have to specifically point out how ready I was for teaching thanks to the opportunities, classes, and advice given by our department. What I love about the Education department was the different strengths each professor had. I could relate in some ways, and be pushed in other ways by their teaching style, and even expectations. I feel our program is top notch and I would recommend it to anyone with a desire to go into teaching.
What you remember most about Bethany: I fondly remember the laughs, talks, and even tears shed in my education classes with Polly Browne. She has a way of captivating your attention and making learning an experience instead of just something to listen to and maybe absorb some knowledge. I enjoyed particularly how she pushed us out of our comfort zones so often. I am sure some of my male-athlete classmates weren’t super comfortable playing the recorder or leading a song in front of all of us, but boy, did they do it with a good attitude because she made the environment comfortable for things that weren’t always comfortable. I owe a lot of my personal growth to her. She was my advisor, teacher, and now friend. Thank you, Polly.
Advice for current students: Enjoy this time. Really enjoy it because it is a once in a lifetime chance for memories, relationships, and good times. I miss it so much.