THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, June 23, 1994 TAG: 9406220169
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY SHIRLEY BRINKLEY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: 940623 LENGTH: SUFFOLK
Taylor handled clerical work and tackled various duties in the field, everything from picking up supplies to measuring and marking materials, to nervously climbing on a scaffold high above the ground.
{REST} She worked a while for her father, who owns a construction company, and two other construction firms.
And she helped deliver firewood.
Then her two sisters offered her a full-time job taking care of their children while they worked.
The experience was a turning point in her life.
``That's when I decided I liked working with children,'' Taylor said. ``I took my niece and nephew to the beach, park and museums. I also helped them with arts and crafts.
``No one in my family had ever gone to college,'' she said. ``But I knew, after I'd had all these different jobs, that I wanted to work with children.''
So she enrolled at Paul D. Camp Community College.
``I was real nervous,'' Taylor said, smiling. ``I thought I'd be the oldest one there, but the education I received helped my self-worth.''
She attended classes part time until she earned a teacher's aide certificate in 1992.
``In order to be competitive in today's job market, I needed more skills, so I decided to go back to school,'' she said. ``I wanted to have a career . . . one where I could possibly make a difference.''
Afterward, she was hired on a part-time basis at Camelot Elementary School in the Deep Creek section of Chesapeake.
During the past school year, Taylor's hours at Camelot increased to full-time.
While helping with first- through third-graders at the school, she managed to take additional classes four nights a week in college.
Taylor maintained a 3.6 grade-point average and received an associate's degree in education in May. She plans to take the summer off and return to her position at Camelot in the fall.
``At Camelot, my job is to make a teacher's job easier,'' she said.
She has worked with children who needed extra help, graded papers and made costumes and painted scenery for a first-grade play, a task which meant working at home during spring break.
Taylor, 34, also helped some students with their art work for a recent contest.
In her spare time, Taylor enjoys crafts, painting and reading historical and classic novels.
``They are all the ones I should have read, but didn't get a chance to until I went to college,'' she said.
She is a member of the Chesapeake chapter of the Reading Council, the Hall Place Community Association, and an international honor society for two-year colleges.
Through the local honor society chapter, she has volunteered to help with bake sales and food drives during the Thanksgiving season.
In the fall, Taylor plans to enter Christopher Newport University and work toward a bachelor's degree, which will enable her to become a teacher.
``I think I'm really suited to working with elementary school children,'' Taylor said. ``I've always worked hard at every job I've had, but I really enjoy what I'm doing now.''
by CNB