Taylor Zehr

I came to Goshen after graduating from Hesston College in 2015. I’d just finished doing mission work when I arrived to go to Goshen College. I saw how much Goshen valued the arts and how invested people were in bettering their community. It seemed like a good place to put down roots, and the education systems are really good here. As someone pursuing elementary education after graduation, that’s really important to me.

I want to pursue a position in elementary education and I’m currently doing a TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) practicum at West Goshen Elementary School. I work with students who are part of the English Learners program. I work alongside Mrs. Deiner, but I spend a lot of time in Mrs. Yoder and Mrs. Estrada’s classroom. They’ve all been very supportive in allowing me to observe and just jump in and help the kids with whatever we’re doing at the time. I’m so impressed with the way the school affirms and makes spaces for students of other cultures. It’s fostered an environment where children from both cultures are learning about and from each other.

I’ve also been at CCYC (Goshen College’s Campus Center for Young Children) for two and a half years. I taught there my first two years at Goshen as well as this semester, but I took a break from it while I was doing student teaching. Working there has let me get to know some of the families in this area, which has been awesome!

From a professional standpoint, I am very excited to work with the teachers in Goshen and dive into my first year of teaching to have a better understanding of what it takes and what I need to really do this job well. I’m excited to have my own classroom and to be able to have an entire school year to build relationships with the kids. Personally, I’m excited for the foundation that Goshen College has built for me in knowing more about the kinds of injustices happening, and how I can become more active in being part of both my global and smaller immediate community. I’m excited to meet more people in Goshen who are active in these things.

I’m getting married in June, and both of us are excited about getting more involved in the church community here in Goshen. We attend Maple City Chapel. Looking ahead, both of us would like to go overseas someday and do some type of volunteer work there.

Honestly, I am going into education because I felt called to it. Initially, I really didn’t want to do it, but I realized that I was scared because I knew it was a difficult job. My experiences in schools have shown me that the job is even more difficult than I thought, and I’m still convinced that teaching is one of the hardest things I’ll ever do. But it’s so exciting to have those moments when you know that the kids know you care and to see them succeed in something that’s really hard for them.