As Eleanor Roosevelt High School gears up for another year, it welcomes a host of new teachers including Ms. Heather Seyler, who will be teaching English 9 and 10 this year.

In addition to graduating from the University of Maryland with a double major in English and Education, Ms. Seyler has experience working at the UMD’s writing center, providing one on one peer tutoring for undergraduates in writing. “That’s where I learned how to carry myself as an educator, how to speak as an educator, and how to lead someone to a conclusion that they are coming to on their own, and not just telling them ‘here’s what you need to do.’ ” She said that she was driven to study English because of “the magic that books, poetry, and other kinds of writing can give people.”

Ms. Seyler said she “learned a lot” from her mentor Mr. James Miller, who she had interned with the previous year. When asked about his experience with Ms. Seyler, Mr. Miller said that he expects that she will fit right in with the Roosevelt community, and that he believes “she will do an excellent job preparing her students for the next grade level and for post high school studies.”

Ms. Seyler has also received positive comments from her colleagues, including Ms. Kiersten Gregory, who called her an “inspired teacher who really wants to make a change and impact students. I hope that she feels supported by her colleagues, and that she enjoys her teaching experiences. I wish her the best, and I know that she’s going to be doing great things as a teacher.”

When asked about what inspired her to become a teacher, Ms. Seyler noted with excitement the numerous positive effects that her creative writing teacher Bill Jones, and close friend Katie Gent had on her personal development. “Everything that Bill Jones taught me about creative writing, and writing poetry really inspired me to continue writing, and the way that he treated every single person in his classes was really admirable to me. He approached every single person, and every piece of writing with an immense amount of respect, and that really encouraged everyone to write the best that they could. I liked Katie Gent’s passion, and her energy, and the excitement she approached her job with, and I wanted that in my life as well.”

Ms. Seyler says she has enjoyed her time at ERHS thus far, remarking that she enjoys working in an environment where “students care about the school, and are glad to be here. I’m excited to find things that work really well for me.” She is looking forward to “trying new things” and education styles she’s never experienced before.

Ms. Seyler would also like to let students know that if they would like help with their college application essays, she has plenty of experience in that field, and would be more than happy to lend a hand.