Those who have had her class will agree that Mrs. Taylor is an excellent teacher. She makes learning fun and interesting simply because one can tell she truly loves what she does. I had the pleasure of getting to know her on a more personal level.
Mrs. Taylor is a Blountstown native and a 1990 graduate from BHS. Her favorite subject in school was Mr. Leonard’s government class! She explained to me, “that’s what made me want to be a teacher; he made it come to life!” Upon hearing this, I was prompted to ask what she previously wanted to be when she grew up. With no hesitation she told me that she had wanted to be a Broadway Star, singing and dancing her way on stage in New York City. That would have been quite the experience for a small town girl.
Once she graduated from high school, Mrs. Taylor went on to Chipola (where she said she had more fun than she should have!), then went on to Florida State University where she got the knowledge and skills to pursue her teaching career.
At Blountstown Middle School we were first introduced to Mrs. Taylor, where she interned and taught for half a year. This year’s senior class was among the first classes she ever taught. Therefore, I believe that it is safe to say we hold a special place in her heart. My classmates and I enjoyed having her in eighth grade, but we will never forget those dreaded history packets!
After BMS, Mrs. Taylor moved on to BHS and has taught there for four years! She teaches subjects in reading, history, government, and economics. Her favorite subject, however, has got to be history. My sophomore year, I had her history class, and it was, without a doubt, my favorite class because of all the cool projects we had to do. She made history more interesting and easier to understand for all of us.
Shifting gears a bit and getting more personal, I asked what her favorite T.V. show is. She says, “As of right now, LOST.” This surprised me to some extent because I didn’t think anyone could follow that show anymore!
Her favorite foods are sushi, Italian dishes, and, as her 3rd period leadership class will testify, the ‘tater logs from the Piggly Wiggly. She adds she pretty much likes anything. Her biggest pet peeve is people talking when she is trying to talk, which I am sure many people will have the same opinion with, “It’s very rude!” she states. Her favorite book is The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch, “It speaks to me”, she says. She mainly enjoys the fall season because, “that’s when I got married, and after a hot summer, it’s nice for things to be cool again.” After this response, I asked her about her husband and best friend. She has been married to Bryan Taylor (“Farmer Bryan”) for 11 happy years!
To wrap things up, I asked, “What are two things you would like to do before you die?” This question seemed to stump her a bit. She explained to me that she had pretty much done everything she had wanted to do before the age of 19. Not many people can say that! Nevertheless, after reeling over the question for a while, she finally made up her mind and said she would really love to sail the Greek Islands for two weeks on a private sail boat and she would like to attend an opera at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. These responses did not surprise me in the least because I know Taylor to be an adventurous sort of woman that likes to do things big.
Apart from the things I knew of Mrs. Samantha Taylor, this interview was an entertaining and enlightening way of better understanding the kind of person she is. One thing I know for certain is that Mrs. Taylor is probably going to be the teacher I will miss the most.
