Inspiration: ‘Learning to be a teacher from your favorite teacher’

Mercyhurst University junior Shelby Porter has always dreamed of being a teacher. Part of that dream was inspired by her first-grade teacher, Miss Bauschard.

Shelby has fond memories of her time in Miss Bauschard’s classroom at Our Lady Christian School in Erie. She recalls Bauschard creating themes for her classes, such as “camp” or “the beach,” which made her students more excited to learn and participate. She made photobooks for each student, which she shared with them at the end of the year. She even hosted a toast party, where the students could put any ingredients they wanted on a piece of toast, including powdered sugar and sprinkles.

When Shelby thinks back to first grade, she remembers why she came to Mercyhurst for a degree in Early Childhood Education.

Shelby walked into her Observation and Assessment 1 class at the beginning of her freshman year eager to learn more about what it takes to be a teacher.

What she didn’t expect to see was Miss Bauschard at the front of the classroom. Shelby quickly recognized her, and when given a piece of paper that instructed her to write something about herself, Shelby wrote,

                                   “I think you were my first-grade teacher.”

Fast forward two years...

Shelby is currently enrolled in her third course with Amy Bauschard of Mercyhurst’s Education Department. Having the opportunity to teach Shelby all these years later, Bauschard has come to realize that Shelby bears a striking resemblance to that young girl from elementary school. She was inquisitive, diligent, took care of her peers, and never stepped a single toe out of line.

Indeed, for Bauschard, the second time around is nostalgic. She is able to see firsthand the influence her teaching had on a child, and how it is helping that young woman transform into a fantastic teacher.  

Looking ahead, Shelby said she is determined to have a classroom like Miss Bauschard’s. It will be calm, creative, and fun. Learning how to be a teacher from your favorite teacher is a unique experience, and Mercyhurst is happy to have this duo right here on campus.

PHOTO: Shelby Porter as a first grader; Shelby as a Mercyhurst junior meeting with her longtime favorite teacher, Amy Bauschard.