Our new second grade teacher, Brenda Taylor, isn’t new to teaching — or to Pacific Beach.
This year marks Taylor’s twenty-first year of teaching. She grew up in Pacific Beach and lives in the community today. She attended Crown Point Elementary, PB Middle School, and Mission Bay High before graduating from San Diego State University.
Taylor spent the last 19 years teaching first and third grade at Rosa Parks Elementary School in City Heights, San Diego. She said she loved her time at that school, but she’s excited to be back in the community where she grew up and raised her son, now a college student.
“My son had Ms. Luce and Mr. Sandler,” Taylor said, “and Ms. Galvin and Ms. Cromar were here (when he was at PBE).”
She said she has fond memories of going to his baseball games, and she’s looking forward to attending the soccer and baseball games of her PBE students.
Taylor said she loves being a teacher. Her favorite part of the job is watching the progress kids make over the year. She keeps in touch with many of her former students, and she said those she’s lost touch with often find her and let her know how they are doing.
“One student told me he is going to be an astronaut because of a lesson we did in first grade,” she said, “and another was the valedictorian at Berkeley. It’s so wonderful to be able to make that kind of difference,” she said.
When Taylor isn’t working, she can be found walking her 115-lb. yellow lab around Pacific Beach. She goes to yoga every day, and loves spending time with her husband, her high school sweetheart.
Taylor is very excited about the year ahead, and to be back in her home town, teaching at the school her son attended.
“I am forever grateful to be here,” she said.