Educator of the Week: Cindy Taylor
Cindy Taylor doesn’t just teach her Peabody High School seniors, she motivates them in a class called “Job Training for Tennessee Graduates.” “The purpose of this class is to get kids ready to go into- they’re transitioning – they’re getting ready to leave. They’re all seniors and they’re leaving high school, either going into the work force or into education,” said Taylor. Taylor says whether it’s work or continued education, it’s a matter of helping her students discover their interests and aptitudes – and remembering an important acronym. “A.R.R.,” said Taylor. “A is for attitude – you have to have a positive one. R is for respect – they have to respect themselves and others. And the second R is for responsibility. They have to take responsibility.” And with a positive attitude, respect and responsibility, Taylor’s students find success. And so does she. “Their success is mine,” said Taylor. “When they say ‘I got a job’, when they say ‘I went to college and I got that degree’, and ‘I really feel like you made me feel like I could do that.” This educator says it’s a feeling she hopes to give them for many years to come. “I’ll be walking with a walker down the hall. I love working with children,” said Taylor. “I’m giving these kids building blocks – and it’s how they take them out and put them in order.”