Every day at work, Taylor Witte is reminded to find joy in her life.
As a pre-k teacher at McKinley Elementary, Witte said this nudge comes from her students, who bring such a positive energy into her classroom.
“If I leave the classroom, even for a minute, and I walk back in, they’ll say, ‘Mrs. Witte, we missed you.’ I know it’s a little selfish, but they make me feel so loved,” Witte shared. “That’s why I like pre-k specifically is because there’s just so much love and joy that seeps out of their bodies. They love to be at school, they love learning, and they get excited about the smallest things. It reminds me to find joy in all the little things in my life too.”
Witte moved to Norman when she attended the University of Oklahoma, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education. In December 2021, she also added a master’s degree from OU in Instructional Leadership and Academic Curriculum. Originally from Houston, Witte fell in love with the community of Norman while a college student, influencing her decision to settle down here after graduation and eventually start teaching at Norman Public Schools.
Although it took her a little while to discover that early childhood was the right area for her, Witte knew from a young age that she loved being with kids and wanted to teach. Initially, she started as a music education major, but the desire to build deep relationships with one group of students over the course of a year led her to early childhood instead.
“I just love being able to kind of be part of their family for a little bit,” Witte said. “Every day in pre-k, we say, ‘We are a pre-k family.’ I really, truly believe that I'm one of their influential adults in their life, and I have the chance to help shape them into who they are and help them realize their potential and that they are worthy of love and success. I get to be a small part of their story, and that's why I love teaching them.”
Prior to starting at McKinley in 2017, Witte spent three years as the elementary program director for a large church in Norman. In that role, she oversaw all of the elementary programming like Vacation Bible School and the Summer Care Program. Witte’s favorite part of that job was being around the kids, but she did not get to do that as often as she would have liked. That was when she decided it was time to move into the classroom.
Even though Witte didn’t become a music teacher, she still loves music and often incorporates it into her classroom lessons. Witte plays piano, ukulele, and sings, and in high school and college, she also played bassoon and steel pan. When the weather is nice, Witte enjoys lying in her hammock and reading a book or going on walks with her husband, Nick, and dog, Sasquatch. She is an animal lover and in addition to Sasquatch, Witte also has a cat named Nessa.
The Wittes are interested in environmentalism and helping to take care of the planet, which led them to launch a nonprofit called Repurposed Play last fall. Through this, they collect materials from businesses that would be thrown away but are still usable. These materials, including items like spools and tiles from construction projects, are then given to NPS classrooms to be used in play-based learning.
Witte said that when she was chosen as a finalist for District Teacher of the Year, it took a few days for it to sink in. She feels honored to represent not just McKinley but also the early childhood program.
“I think it’s truly awesome that I have an opportunity to kind of highlight what we do in pre-k with our littles who are so capable and so able to do so much,” Witte stated. “Sometimes we forget about that because they’re just so little, but they can do so much whenever we have those expectations for them and give them the chance to thrive.”
For Witte, her role as a pre-k teacher comes with two major jobs. The first is to help her students reach their potential and succeed, and the other is to teach them how to coexist with other people and treat others with compassion.
“I believe that education, especially in early childhood education, is a time for students to discover the great things about themselves,” Witte explained. “And that it’s the job of the teachers to help them realize their potential and help them find avenues for success in whatever area of life that might be. We’re here to build them up and to have them believe in themselves so that when they leave education, they know that they are problem solvers. They know that they are critical thinkers. They know that they are world changers and that they can make a difference in their lives, in the lives around them and in the world.”