Brandi Tayler, or Ms. Blankenship, as my family fondly remembers her by, will forever be that “one” teacher that will be part of my son’s “story” for the rest of his life.  Ms. Tayler is a gifted teacher who approaches her planning and teaching towards reaching the “whole” child.  She taught manners, class, integrity, and real-world compassion to all her students.  She held them to high expectations and accountability to put their best selves forward.

Ms. Tayler spent invaluable time with the students each day sharing stories.  She had that special way of building background knowledge and bringing new vocabulary to the surface of their minds. A real relationship was built with the kids and they in turn felt loved and valued.  I have memories of my son coming home that year sharing the latest and greatest fact he learned from her.  He absorbed every word she ever said, and to this day he will refer to things Ms. Tayler taught him and proceed to rattle off his knowledge.  To hold onto vivid memories as these proves that Ms. Tayler is quite extraordinary.

I also appreciated Ms. Tayler’s keen awareness of the need to differentiate.  It was discovered that my son had above level math/reading ability, so she had a special volunteer teacher pull him for a one-on-one weekly lesson which provided fabulous extension.  She had that gifted way to know what each child needed to match their ability, and bring them forward.

The most amazing memory I have, which will forever set her apart from any other teacher, was Ms. Tayler’s “Hearts for Haiti” project.  She spearheaded this life-changing experience which raised hundreds of dollars to go towards the Haitian earthquake victims.  I clearly remember her saying that as she was getting ready for school that particular morning early 2010, she listened to this devastating news on the TV, and knew at that moment she had to take action.  She came to school and immediately organized the most compassionate fundraiser.  Because Valentine’s Day was soon approaching, she had the kindergarten students create homemade hearts for fellow HPPM students to purchase and place on their Valentine bags and boxes.  All proceeds were sent to help victims.  Fox 4 News filmed a segment of this special endeavor where she was interviewed, as well as the students.  This is just one of the many moments of great generosity and selfless gifts Ms. Tayler exhibited toward her students.    

What a truly amazing role model and mentor this person is to all.  We will forever be fortunate and grateful to call Ms. Tayler “Our Son’s Favorite All-Time Teacher”.