Taylor Wood, a newlywed from the Eastern Shore, has earned the privilege of being our Eastern Shore Parents Teacher of the Month.
“I am truly so honored to receive this recognition,” Taylor said. “It is my goal to make an impact on my students and I never expect a reward or award in return. However, knowing that my students’ parents enjoy having me as their child’s teacher makes me so proud and excited.”
Taylor is currently in her 5th year of teaching after graduating from Troy University with her Bachelor’s degree in 2019. She is currently pursuing her Master’s through the University of West Alabama while she works full time at Stonebridge Elementary in Spanish Fort as a first grade teacher.
“My mom is also a first-grade teacher and I always loved listening to her stories, going to her classroom, and hearing of the difference she made in the lives of her students,” shared Taylor. “I changed my major to education during the first two weeks of college and I never looked back. I have always loved working with children and looked forward to the opportunity to impact them in the best way possible.”
One of the ways Taylor focuses on impacting her student positively is by creating a healthy and supportive classroom culture. She shared that she puts a heavy emphasis on building relationships with her students so that they trust her when she encourages and guides them into finishing class work. She strives to relate the work they are doing to real life scenarios so they know the “why” behind completing the tasks at hand.
“The most rewarding part of being a teacher is the opportunity to make relationships with students and showing them their worth and value,” Taylor said. “I think this is one of the most important parts of being a teacher because we have a tremendous amount of time with our students for nine months of the year. Teachers get to decide what type of impact and changes we make on a child’s life during that time.”
Taylor’s teaching career is just taking off and we know many children’s lives will be impacted in a great way during her time in our community. However, her heart for encouraging others doesn’t stop with her students. She goes on to encourage new teachers, just getting started.
“My advice would be to make your own path as a teacher”. “Never stop learning and enjoy the process of teaching.”
Taylor
Taylor and husband, Hunter Wood, just recently tied the knot in July. They are both local to the Eastern Shore and love being in this community. They enjoy working out, being outdoors, traveling and walking their dog, Murphy.
