Beverly Boyer

PROFILES IN EDUCATION: Beverly Boyer

Candace Braun

Name: Beverly Boyer

School: Waldorf School

Years Taught: 8 years

Subject/Grade Taught: first grade through eighth grade

Education: bachelor's degree in Japanese language and area studies, Earlham College, Richmond, Ind.; fine arts degree in dance, Stephens College, Columbia, Mo.; registered nurse degree from Mercer County Community College; certification as Waldorf School teacher

Most Memorable Book: To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee

Person You Admire: "My father; [Dr. Ernest Boyer] was a nationally known educator, and president of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching here in Princeton for 15 years. I think his philosophy towards children and towards educating children influenced me greatly."

For some teachers, educating children is a lifelong aspiration. But for others, teaching is more of a calling that comes along when they least expect it.

For Beverly Boyer, a teacher at the Waldorf School of Princeton, the second case is true. Earning a degree in Japanese studies in college, then taking an interest in dance, then nursing, Ms. Boyer received her calling to teach rather late in her career.

"There was actually a very clear moment when I felt a calling to become a teacher," she recalled of the moment that occurred 11 years ago.

Ms. Boyer had been working as a nurse at Mercer Medical Center for three years when the time came for her to decide if she wanted to become a midwife, as was her original intention, or to move on to another career. It was then the inspiration came to her.

"I was in the newborn nursery and there was this little baby that had just been born that I helped deliver," said Ms. Boyer. "I was thinking that I've done what I can to help this child come into life, but now what? He's in the hands of his parents, then he's in the hands of his teachers."

Ms. Boyer said what she was looking for was a way to influence the child on a more long term basis: "I wanted to help impact children for the rest of their lives, and for me the answer to that was education."

Becoming a Teacher

Born in Los Angeles, Ca., Ms. Boyer spent much of her childhood in Santa Barbara. When she was 14, her family moved east, to upstate New York.

A world traveler, the Waldorf teacher has made trips to Europe with friends when she was younger, as well as studied in Jamaica as a freshman in college.

Her junior year of college she travelled to Japan as part of her major. It was then Ms. Boyer developed a love of the Japanese culture. After having children, she and her family went to Japan to live for three years. It was here Ms. Boyer first started teaching, when some of her neighbors asked her to teach their children the English language.

Later on, after she decided to pursue a career in teaching, Ms. Boyer knew that she wanted to work at the Waldorf School. All four of her children, a daughter, 26, a daughter, 23, a son, 21, and a daughter, 15, had attended the Waldorf School, and she was a strong advocate of the work at the school. She began a three-year training course to become a teacher there.

While training, Ms. Boyer helped her father, Dr. Ernest Boyer, with his work at the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Head of the Department of Education in the Carter administration, Mr. Boyer was a firm believer in education, and wrote many books on the subject. Soon after Ms. Boyer moved to the Princeton area to be near her parents, she had the opportunity to help her father research his book, The Basic School: A Community for Learning, which discusses his thoughts on the ideal elementary school.

Ms. Boyer travelled around the country visiting schools that were interested in Mr. Boyer's ideas, speaking with other teachers about education.

"That was a nice prelude to this job," said Ms. Boyer, who said that staying with one occupation for eight years now even surprises herself. "I've done many different things. For me to stick to this job for eight years is actually unusual for me."

Ms. Boyer also had the opportunity to travel with her mother to China on behalf of her father eight years ago, to accept an honorary degree from the University of Beijing.

The Waldorf Curriculum

Now that she has become immersed in education just as her father was, Ms. Boyer said she plans to continue on her current career path. The Waldorf School has a different curriculum than many other public or private schools, in that whenever possible, a teacher remains with the same class from first grade through eighth grade. Due to various circumstances some teachers don't complete the full eight years with their class, however Ms. Boyer is now preparing to say goodbye to the students she has taught now for almost a decade.

"Its been indescribably wonderful," she said. "You have the advantage of getting to know the whole class so well."

Ms. Boyer said that following the class all the way through middle school is challenging, but fun. Attending summer courses on curriculum, as well as spending many nights and weekends laboring over lesson plans can be tough at times, however Ms. Boyer said that the overall result is well worth the effort.

"That's the challenge and the blessing of being a Waldorf teacher," she said. "I feel like I've had a really good education. There's many things I've forgotten from my own education that I got to learn again."

The Teaching Experience

Believing in the potential of a child is a key part of teaching, said Ms. Boyer.

"You have to recognize what the child is now and what they can become. You have to believe in that potential, and work with that potential," she said.

Providing a hands-on learning experience is also important in the classroom, she said.

One project she had her students participate in during third grade was building a playhouse for the kindergarten class.

"They still use that playhouse today," she said.

Another project that proved educational for both teacher and students occurred this year, when the eighth grade students were learning about electromagnetism in a physics course. Ms. Boyer brought in her CD player without the speakers, and asked students to bring in their favorite CDs to play. Then, she showed her students how to make simple speakers using magnets and electrical wire, which enabled them to listen to their CDs.

What surprised Ms. Boyer however was what happened when she asked her students to break into groups and see who could come up with the best speakers. The students worked diligently for two hours on the project, skipping recess to get the job done.

"The students worked on it for so long and came up with ideas that I never would have dreamed of," said the teacher.

Now, as Ms. Boyer says goodbye to her class of eight years, she will be going on sabbatical for a year. However instead of taking the year off, Ms. Boyer has decided to go to New Hampshire for the year and become a dorm counselor for High Mowing, a high school related to the Waldorf School.

"I'm just looking at this year as a way of doing something totally different in a completely different setting," she said.

But next year, she plans to return to Waldorf and begin again with a new class. Through teaching, she has discovered a way to fulfill her dreams, which have turned out to be much the same as her father's.

"The primary years at school are just so important in shaping who children become and what our society becomes," she said. "For all these incredibly significant years, [I'm] right there with them."