Published: August 19, 2008 12:00 am            

For one local teacher, it's her first day ever in charge of classroom

Amber Beyleryan admits she's excited and maybe a bit nervous.

And that's OK, she has good reason. Today marks the first day of school for Beyleryan at Adams Elementary School.

Beyleryan is opening a new chapter of her life.

But not as a student. Instead, she's the teacher who will welcome 21 new faces to her kindergarten class this morning.

"I'm nervous, but I met the students last night," Beyleryan said as she sat in a child's size chair next to a small table in her classroom Tuesday. She had just made a list of last-minute chores to complete before school begins.

The list includes making more than 20 hand-shaped cookies and refreshing her guitar skills for an upcoming name game, Beyleryan said.

In the last three months, Beyleryan has earned a college, degree, moved to a new state and landed employment.

Beyleryan graduated magna cum laude from the University of North Texas in May with a bachelor of science in interdisciplinary studies. She and her husband moved to Oklahoma City at the end of July when she was hired for the teaching position at Adams. Her husband will attend Oklahoma City University's law school this fall.

All the changes in such a small time frame didn't curb Beyleryan's enthusiasm for the job.

"The day I got hired, I came over, asked for a key to my room so I could get ready," she said.

Beyleryan said she chose to follow a career in education because teachers are greatly needed to guide children.

"Teaching is so important," she said. "You can be the constant in their life. They feel safe."

Inside Beyleryan's classroom, the walls are covered with bright colored posters that illustrate numbers, the alphabet and geometric shapes. Crayons, markers, glue bottles and Play-doh containers cover a back table.

"I'm ready for them to come in," Beyleryan said. "I'm excited for them to come."

She said not too much is planned for the first day of school except for reading a book to the class, an art project and a little singing game to learn everyone's name.

"That makes it more exciting to learn names," Beyleryan said.

Adams Elementary principal Linda Baxter said she can tell Beyleryan has enthusiasm for teaching.

"She is very excited and ready to greet the students," Baxter said.

Baxter described Beyleryan as kind-hearted and said, "she always smiles and is very gentle with the children."

"She is going to be one of those teachers who is really involved in the kids," Baxter said. "She comes from a background that is very similar to the children we have here at Adams."

Meghan McCormick 366-3539 mmccormick@normantranscript.com

        

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