Taylor Abbott

For Taylor Abbott, nothing compared to the opportunities she has had as an elementary and special education major at Indiana State University.

“I specifically chose Indiana State because of its teaching program,” she said. “No other school I looked at had anything that compared to TOTAL program and being able to have an extra semester going into schools. As an education major at Indiana State, I started my freshman year going to elementary schools and was able to see early on if this field was where I want to spend rest of my working life. Luckily for me, it is.”

Through the Teachers of Tomorrow Advancing Learning Program (TOTAL), Abbott served as an intern working with a coaching teacher in a classroom for an entire semester prior to student teaching. She also served as vice president of Student Council for Exceptional Children and had the opportunity to participate in Dance Marathon and LeaderShape – a “six intense days of dialogue and interactive self-discovery in a supportive Learning Community.”

Abbott, who is a native of Morgantown, Ind., participated in the May commencement ceremony, though she will graduate in December after she student teaches this fall in Jennings/Bartholomew County.

“I will enjoy being anywhere but I would love to give back to my community and own lots of dogs and hopefully a cow,” she said. “Through the University, I have gained the right tools and knowledge to complete my goal of simply bringing a difference to the world. I’ve known since my senior year high school that I wanted to be a teacher because my high school had an internship program and I had the opportunity to go into a special education classroom. I knew immediately it was for me.”

Abbott’s experience at State reaffirmed her desire for a career in teaching and she can’t wait until she has her own classroom teaching any grade K-5.

“When I got to Indiana State, they taught us about creating lessons plans, how to interact with students and parents and how to incorporate different learn styles and technologies into our teaching,” she said. “The university has taught me how to become the best teacher I can be, but more importantly ISU has taught me how to be a good person. I have learned how to be a socially aware citizen through the university, and I am so excited to bring what I have learned into my profession.”