Baylor reflects on time with LCC Class of 2021
Christy Baylor
Christy Baylor was born in 1980 in Coshocton, and attended Keene Elementary and River View Junior High School. She then attended high school at Coshocton and graduated from Coshocton High School in 1998. Her father is Larry Corder, a well-known realtor and auctioneer who also worked for AEP. Baylor helped with her father’s auctions and also volunteered in her aunt’s classroom at Lincoln Elementary. Baylor “knew she always wanted to be a teacher.” She received her Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education from Wright State University followed by her Master’s from Muskingum University where she earned her reading endorsement.
In 2002, Baylor’s first teaching position was at Licking Valley. She taught third grade at Perry Elementary. In 2004, Baylor began teaching first grade at Central Elementary in Coshocton. Even though she had enjoyed Perry Elementary and third grade, moving to first grade, was a “big jump.” She remained in first grade for five years at Central Elementary, before moving to Lincoln Elementary where she taught kindergarten with Kayley Andrews, and also her aunt, Debby Corder. In 2013, Coshocton built a new elementary school, and everyone moved into the new building. As Baylor put it, “We were blessed with a new building. New technology and air conditioning!”
After five years in kindergarten, Baylor was ready for another exciting change in her teaching career. In 2014, she moved positions from a classroom teacher to a title teacher, working with struggling readers. She admits she “liked a change in positions about every five years,” and didn’t know she would like this title position the most. As a title teacher, Baylor works with kindergarten and first grade struggling readers. Trained in reading recovery, Baylor states this program has “changed the outlook on how to teach reading,” and views it as “giving back to the community.” She teaches self-monitoring skills to encourage readers to learn how to help themselves. She teaches students based upon what their strengths are in terms of learning how to read. In small groups of four or fewer students, she encourages students to talk about the story, and how they relate to one of the characters. When a student is stuck on a tricky word, oftentimes, as soon as they talk about the story, and check the first letter of the word, it “pops” right out of their mouth. Baylor said, “It is exciting to see the students’ growth and to see them use self-monitoring skills.” Baylor hopes to remain as a title teacher for years to come.
Baylor enjoys being involved in her two daughters’ activities. Over the years, her daughters have participated in several activities such as gymnastics, dance, soccer, swim, and tennis. Her daughters have swam for Rising Tide, middle school swim, CHS Swim, and a club swim in Zanesville. Baylor loves taking pictures at all of these events. She and her family also have volunteered for several years with the Coshocton Elks Lodge. Along-side her father-in-law, James Baylor, her family always helps with the Elks Soccer Shoot and the Elks Hoop Shoots.
In 2020, two colleagues, Angela Locke and Kayley Andrews, participated in Leadership Coshocton County. Locke would come back following the program days, and talk about what she learned and who she had met. Baylor decided, “I want to do that.” She would ask her dad, “Did you know that?” In addition, Baylor had heard wonderful things about Leadership Coshocton County from her niece Paige Bemiller, who went through Coshocton County Youth Leadership and Morgan Hammond, who is also a graduate of LCC. Baylor wanted to learn more about the community after hearing of everyone’s experiences in both programs. While working with children is within her comfort zone, speaking to and working with adults is not, describing herself as an “introvert with adults.” Baylor wants to learn about leadership as well as step outside her comfort zone.
When asked her view of the community, Baylor pointed out that there are “many caring teachers” in the community. Over the years, our job descriptions do not only involve teaching kids to read, write, and to do math. As a teacher, their job duties are well beyond what most thought they would be doing- “nurse, counselor, educator, etc.” Some years they would spend a great deal of time teaching socialization skills. She enjoys teaching kids a sense of pride – how to read and how to help themselves. Baylor is “hopeful” the new Mayor, Mark Mills, can do “great things; bring a positive light to the community and get involved.” She states, “Kids need good leadership models. I hope the kids can take the skills that teachers have taught them and apply it to their own life.”
To make the county stronger, Baylor firmly believes “more people should be aware of the good things going on. There are good things already here and we can make help them even better.” Like many, she believes more businesses and jobs would help and that people should “talk about the positives and not negatives. If more people knew the good things going on, maybe they’d help or do something.”
Baylor would “absolutely” recommend Leadership Coshocton for others stating, “I already have talked to others about the program and would like them to get involved too. My sister needs to do it and I encouraged my daughter to apply for CCYL. I would like to encourage other people to apply, too. Leadership is a great experience to meet other people in the community, learn about their jobs, and what they do for the community. Even though I grew up in Coshocton County, I still learned several interesting things that I didn’t know about our community and will view things in a different way. Leadership Coshocton County has inspired me to want to learn more.”
Category: Clubs & Organizations
