
Taylor Swalm has been teaching at Prestige for x years. She is the 6th grade Chair and teaches English Language Arts. We were able to sit down with Ms. Swalm and find out a little more about her background and her passion for Prestige.
1) What do you find most rewarding about teaching at Prestige?
The most rewarding thing about teaching at Prestige is the relationships that I get to build with my students. I had the opportunity to teach some of my students two years in a row, and have also coached the same young men on our lacrosse team for two years. Being able to see these scholars grow overtime and really making a connection with them is extremely rewarding.
2) What is your dream for your students?
My dream for my students is that they would walk through life respectfully and kindly, that they would achieve their goals through immeasurable perseverance, and that they would take advantage of every opportunity given to them.
3) What would you like to see happening at Prestige in five years?
In five years, I would like to see Prestige surpassing all odds. To me, that would look like our scholars doing a great deal of service in our community, and giving back. I have thought a lot about how powerful it would be to have graduates of Prestige come back on a regular basis and work with our current scholars as well. I think that this would be an incredible legacy to implement, and I would love to see that happen.
4) What was your favorite class in elementary school?
My favorite class in elementary and middle school was English. I loved reading stories about literally anything. I found early on that books could take me on adventures I never knew existed, and that writing could help me express myself in incredible ways.
5) What inspired you to become a teacher?
I come from a long family history of educators, so I kind of always knew that I would become a teacher. My mother and grandfather really inspired me to become a teacher. I grew up watching my mom run her classroom, and have learned so much from her. What really struck me was that regardless of how hard she made her students work and how strict she was, her students always loved her and had great relationships with her. I wanted to be able to have the same impact on students one day. As well, my grandfather was a teacher and ultimately became a superintendent. I can remember sitting in his desk and thinking that I wanted to be just like him because he was always so calm, collected, and respected by everyone that he came into contact with.
1) What do you find most rewarding about teaching at Prestige?
The most rewarding thing about teaching at Prestige is the relationships that I get to build with my students. I had the opportunity to teach some of my students two years in a row, and have also coached the same young men on our lacrosse team for two years. Being able to see these scholars grow overtime and really making a connection with them is extremely rewarding.
2) What is your dream for your students?
My dream for my students is that they would walk through life respectfully and kindly, that they would achieve their goals through immeasurable perseverance, and that they would take advantage of every opportunity given to them.
3) What would you like to see happening at Prestige in five years?
In five years, I would like to see Prestige surpassing all odds. To me, that would look like our scholars doing a great deal of service in our community, and giving back. I have thought a lot about how powerful it would be to have graduates of Prestige come back on a regular basis and work with our current scholars as well. I think that this would be an incredible legacy to implement, and I would love to see that happen.
4) What was your favorite class in elementary school?
My favorite class in elementary and middle school was English. I loved reading stories about literally anything. I found early on that books could take me on adventures I never knew existed, and that writing could help me express myself in incredible ways.
5) What inspired you to become a teacher?
I come from a long family history of educators, so I kind of always knew that I would become a teacher. My mother and grandfather really inspired me to become a teacher. I grew up watching my mom run her classroom, and have learned so much from her. What really struck me was that regardless of how hard she made her students work and how strict she was, her students always loved her and had great relationships with her. I wanted to be able to have the same impact on students one day. As well, my grandfather was a teacher and ultimately became a superintendent. I can remember sitting in his desk and thinking that I wanted to be just like him because he was always so calm, collected, and respected by everyone that he came into contact with.