School and Community Fall 2022

“I was really lucky to have older kids who acted as role models and mentors to me at my parents’ schools. The school business was our family business,” she explained. Townsend comes from a long line of educators. “On my mother’s side, my grandmother was a school bus driver and a school board member. My mother was a Speech-Language Pathologist and MSTA member for over 35 years. Her brothers and my aunt are all lifelong Missouri educators,” she explained. “On my dad’s side, my grandfather was a school administrator and later worked at DESE. My dad was a teacher and then became a school administrator. I have an aunt and uncle who were also life-long Missouri educators.” She spent her childhood wandering through the hallways of her parent’s offices and was always in attendance for all school activities. As she grew up, Townsend discovered her own calling for teaching. “I think, in a way, I always kind of thought I would teach. However, what and how I would teach was strongly influenced by both my parents and the incredible educators I had along the way,” she mused. With a built-in teacher support system, the transition into teaching was smooth. “The summer before my freshman year at said. “I came home and immediately changed my major to Middle School Education. The rest is history!” Townsend had a close group of people with a variety of different ages and background areas to help her put the classroom together. Although she had some extra assistance, the job still isn’t easy. “While the days may be long sometimes, every day is an opportunity to see students grow and to make a difference,” Townsend said. Ironically, she married into an education oriented family as well. Her husband is a paraprofessional and the son of a teacher. Northwest, I spent eight weeks teaching middle schoolers for a non profit (Breakthough Collaborative),” she

“My husband has understood from the get-go the long hours, the concerts, the ballgames, etc.,” she noted. “He is a former youth minister and currently coaches our high school Scholar Bowl team here in Nevada, so his love of kids and support of schools have been invaluable to me.” Wiley Meade Wiley Meade grew up in a small town in Kansas where he was inspired by education at a young age. “School was the ‘hub’ of the town and a lot of pride was taken in what the students did,” Meade explained. “Homecoming, big games and events, were something the whole town came out for. My mother was a teacher and was also a part of the culture.” His mother taught at both the high school and elementary levels. “She taught at the high school level for most of her career, including choir, show choir, small group and soloists, school musicals and plays, and also served as cheerleading sponsor,” Meade said. “She finished her career at the elementary level, following her passion to use music to help students express themselves and develop

Alycen Shewell, right, and her mother.

“I think many teachers have children that grow up to be teachers themselves - my family is proof of that!” - Alycen Shewell

higher level thinking and motor skills using instruments.” His grandmother was a former one-room schoolhouse teacher in her early life. She taught Meade to read at an advanced age,

Erin Townsend, second from right, and her family.

which was a gift to him later in life. As a third-generation teacher, he recognized his mother and grandmother’s love for what they did and wanted to be able to influence students in a similar way. “My mom has been a great example of the power of proper planning and having a vision of what you want your students’ outcome and experience to be,” he said. “Looking back, she was an outstanding model of teacher dedication for me back then, even though I didn’t realize at the time I would become a teacher myself someday.”

S&C FALL 2022 | 27