Family Roots Run Deep at Taylor

Two second generation teachers grew up at Taylor

In elementary school, teachers stress the importance of leading by example. Two of Taylor’s teachers, Lauren Lachewitz and Meghan Barlow, took that advice to heart. Not only did both attend Taylor throughout their elementary years, but each of their mothers taught at Taylor while they were students here. And after finishing college, they both returned as teachers – ready to lead by example.

Lauren’s story

Lauren Lachewitz and her mother started at Taylor the very same year: Lachewitz as a kindergarten student and her mom, Elizabeth Ashley, as an art teacher.  Ashley taught art from 1990 to 2015.

Lauren Lachewitz, left, and her mother Elizabeth Ashley.

But mom wasn’t  just “mom” at school, she was also “Mrs. Ashley,” Lachewitz’s art teacher. “Just knowing my mom was at

school with me was so fun,” said Lachewitz. When she attended Extended Day in the afternoons, and her mom would come to pick her up, she would always beg to stay and play some more. “I have always loved being at Taylor!” she said.

Lachewitz is now a member of the first grade teaching team. She and her mom were fortunate enough to be able to work together for four years, between 2011 and 2015, at which time her mom retired from teaching. The best teaching advice she got from mom was to “make sure the kids know you care about them,” she said.

And throughout all of these years, what has changed and what has been a constant at the school? The biggest change for Lauren is that the chairs and lockers look so small. But what hasn’t changed is “the kind, caring and hard-working staff,” she said.

Lachewitz returned to teach at Taylor because “I absolutely love Taylor,” she said. “The community here is unlike anywhere else. The staff is always warm and welcoming. It feels like a family here!”

And Taylor will feel even more like family next Fall when Lachewitz’s son John starts his own tenure at the school as a kindergartner. Given time, who knows, he might follow the example and become a third generation Taylor teacher.

Meghan’s story

Meghan Barlow, left, and her mother, Linda Reed.

For Meghan Barlow, Taylor is a school with deep family roots.  She comes from a large family and was one of six siblings who attended Taylor over the years. Barlow’s mother, Linda Reed, taught first grade at Taylor for 19 years. Inspired by her mother, Barlow followed in her footsteps and has been a part of the fifth grade teaching team for ten years.

While she never was one of her mother’s students, one of  Barlow’s special memories was coming into school with her mom before school started, hanging out in her classroom and eating Smarties from her candy jar. Later, as a teacher, she and her mom taught at Taylor together for a brief time. She remembers how special it was simply being able to see her throughout her day at school. She and her mom had a brief opportunity to teach on the same first grade team when Barlow was a long-term sub.

What drew Barlow to return to Taylor, this time as a teacher? “Taylor feels like another home.” she said.  “I had such strong personal ties to Taylor that it just felt right to try to teach there. It was an easy decision.” Family is still a big part of Barlow’s experience at Taylor with seven of her nieces and nephews currently enrolled at the school.

Mom’s best advice to Barlow was to do the best you can with the time you’re given, put your heart into it and to maintain a good work-life balance. Even though teaching techniques and curriculum may have changed over time, what hasn’t changed, says Barlow, is “the warm and fun-loving teachers and the passion that floats through the Taylor building.”