“There is a fine line I walk at all times as a believing teacher. The biggest way I use my faith on a daily basis is praying for my students. Even though they don’t see me do this, I know it is the best thing I can do for them. Occasionally God opens a door for me to have a conversation with a student about faith. My students know I act differently from other teachers. I try to live by the example Christ has set for us, and hope and pray my students notice and ask questions.”
Teagan’s Career Journey
Worked as a high school Algebra 2 teacher for America Arkansas Corp. This challenged her in many ways, though she found it equally rewarding. She worked there for 2 years and developed a passion for education and its unique power to change a persons’ circumstances. Teagan then went on to become a Family and Consumer Science teacher at Central Dauphin East High School. She taught Foods and Nutrition to senior students. She was also the class of 2022 advisor and a member of the district’s digital cohort.
Working as an Educator
“I once saw a t-shirt that said, “Teaching… the profession that creates all others”. That’s exactly what I feel that I do every day as an FCS teacher; I prepare students for the real-life skills they need for the professional world. I teach in a high school on a block schedule. I currently teach Baking and Pastry Arts, Fundamentals of Family and Consumer Sciences (a class required of all 9th graders for graduation), and The Preschool Child. The Preschool Child is a two part course: 2 days a week preschool aged children attend our preschool in which the high school students help teach, and 3 days a week of in class learning about preschooler/early childhood development. I teach both the preschoolers and the high schoolers!”
How has HDFS prepared you?
“The HDFS/FCSE program gave me the well rounded education I needed to be prepared to teach under any circumstance. Never did I think I would be teaching Algebra 2 when I entered college. I might not have had the math knowledge through my courses, but I did have a solid teaching pedagogy foundation to rely on. I’ve learned throughout my teaching journey to never hold too tightly to your expectations! When I left CD East, teaching only Foods all day long, and began teaching the preschool course and Hempfield I was so nervous! Thanks to my early childhood classes at Messiah, I knew a lot more than I thought I did and ended up loving teaching preschool. I now feel prepared to teach any aspect of FCS, and know I have my knowledge from my days at Messiah to teach anything.”