Rebecca Caylor: Teaching Portfolio

Hi! My name is Rebecca Caylor. I live in Lanse, PA, with my wonderful husband, Charlie, and our amazing daughter, Katelin (age 11).  I would like to share a little bit about myself and share my journey to becoming a teacher.

As an undergraduate student, I started in the early childhood course path.  I was advised to switch my major after not successfully passing the math Praxis exam.  This change led to much disappointment after all, becoming a teacher was all I wanted to be from such a young age.  I graduated from Lock Haven University with a Bachelor of Science in Sport Management and a minor in Coaching and Aquatics (2007).  While at Lock Haven, I continued my swimming career on the Lady Eagle swim team, where I swam in distance freestyle races.  After graduating, I worked at Pennsylvania State University as its Aquatics Coordinator.  There, I continue pursuing my passion for aquatics and teaching, not just in the classroom but also in the water.  While at Penn State, I taught hundreds of youth and college-age students to swim, coached youth swimming, supervised student staff, and taught many Red Cross courses.  After working at Penn State for many years, Charlie and I started a family, and I became a stay-at-home mom to Katelin. 

In 2021, we moved back to Lanse after living in State College, PA, to be closer to family. It was then that I realized that our local school districts needed substitute teachers. I have been subbing in our district’s elementary school for the past four years.  I quickly remembered why I always thought I was meant to be in the classroom!  I had been missing my passion for being at the school and serving as a positive role model for our students for many years. Many encouraging co-teachers told me I should return to school for my teaching certification. I enrolled in courses to pursue a master's and a teaching certificate.

I recently completed student teaching at West Branch Elementary School, where I was placed in a wonderful first-grade classroom. This completes my PA teacher certificate through Wilson College. I learned so much during that experience and look forward to taking those lessons with me to my own classroom!