By Matt Mauney | Staff Writer
Lindsey Coyne and Tara Vaughn are both enthusiastic about their new positions at Bailey Elementary in Dover.
Both will be first-time teachers this fall, teaching the fifth grade, and they both bring a hands-on approach to teaching.
“I just look around at all these great supplies, and I’m just so excited to interact with the kids and use interactive ways of teaching,” says Coyne, a graduate of Southeastern University in Lakeland.
Vaughn brings a similar philosophy.
“I’m not going to be wearing high heels; I’ll be in flats, because I’ll be moving around the room and want to be involved,” says Vaughn, a graduate of South Florida who has lived in Antioch all her life. “I’m not going to be a teacher that just stands up and lectures.”
Both have been substitutes in the past and recently held tutoring positions at Bailey, where they both fell in love with the school.
“One thing I noticed here is that all of the teachers are very welcoming and make you feel like part of a family, where other schools that I would go into would just give you your stuff and tell you to do what you do,” Coyne says. “The administration is really involved here.”
At first, Coyne had reservations about teaching the older elementary students — a traditionally more difficult group. However, both are excited and ready for the challenge.
“The more I worked with the older kids, the more I absolutely loved it,” she says.