Teaching is what Yoder was ‘meant to do’
Lindsay Yoder is in her sixth year of teaching in the Garaway Local School District. She is an intervention specialist for fourth through sixth grade at Baltic Elementary.
Lindsay Yoder always wanted to be a teacher but chose a different path after graduating high school.
“I gained a lot of experience through my previous jobs but always regretted not going into education,” said Yoder, an intervention specialist for fourth through sixth grade at Baltic Elementary. “Later on in life, I had an opportunity to go back to school and obtain my teaching degree. It’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made because I feel I’m finally doing the job I was meant to do.”
Yoder said it’s challenging to single out a favorite teaching memory.
“I try to celebrate the small wins every day,” she said. “Sometimes it’s seeing a student start to build enough confidence to answer a question in class or volunteer to read out loud, or the pride and excitement a student feels when they do well on a test (that) they worked really hard to prepare for. I also just really enjoy laughing with my students every day and try to make learning fun.”
Yoder emphasized that teaching is a group effort.
“This is definitely not a job you can do in a silo,” she said. “Collaborating with other teachers at Baltic has been a very positive experience for me. I am fortunate to be part of a team that is extremely supportive, both professionally and personally.”
Building relationships and making connections are the most rewarding parts of her job.
“I believe students need to feel valued as a person in order to engage in their learning as a student,” Yoder said. “I genuinely care about them, and it’s important to me that they feel that every single day. Just having an opportunity to impact their lives in some small way each day is an amazing thing and also a huge responsibility that I take very seriously.”
Yoder said juggling the profession’s various tasks and responsibilities is the most challenging part of her job.
Yoder participated in volleyball and Pep Club when she was a student.
She loves spending time with her husband, Rich, and two daughters, Grace and Savannah, when she’s not teaching. She also enjoys reading, cooking and baking.
“Teacher Spotlight” is a feature on a local teacher.