For Jalissa Beachy, teaching music to elementary students during a pandemic is just the latest in a line of non-traditional educational experiences.
It all goes back to her own early school years. As a fifth-grader at Westphalia Elementary, she was the only girl in a class with about 14 boys.
Because she didn’t have any female peers, Beachy bonded with her fifth grade teacher, Diane Ball. That year, the class wrote and published their own books as well as made a video that Beachy still watches from time to time.
“It was nice having another female I could talk to,” Beachy said. “She was strict, but fun.”
She credits Mrs. Ball, as well as first grade teacher Cindy McGhee, for inspiring her to become a teacher.
“They will always have a place in my heart. They were really inspiring, very encouraging and great role models. I want to be that same kind of teacher,” Beachy said.
“School can be a chore. I want to make the experience as fun as possible but still have guidelines and rules.”
Beachy moved to Humboldt in eighth grade, and graduated from high school there. She attended Neosho County Community College and Ottawa University.
This is her first year teaching music to kindergarten at McKinley Elementary School, and to first and second grade students at Jefferson Elementary School.
LAST SPRING brought a different kind of challenge to Beachy’s education.
She worked as a student teacher under Nancy Skahan, a first grade teacher at Jefferson, en route to completing her teaching degree from OU.
Then, the pandemic hit and closed school buildings. It was difficult to student teach without any students.
Beachy did the best she could to help Skahan with lessons. It was a challenging time.
“We just did what we could,” she said.
Her May 2 college graduation was postponed until September, and then postponed again, indefinitely.
