After four years of teaching at Bellefonte High, the Red and White staff are excited to show just how important English Teacher Mrs. Anne Maddox really is, and everything her reading heart loves.
Mrs. Maddox graduated from PSU with an undergraduate degree in English, not education. While she enjoyed literature, her favorite subject in her college education was Arthurian Legend.
“Yes, I spent an entire semester reading stories about King Arthur. It was awesome,” she said.
The excited and freshly-graduated Mrs. Maddox did not immediately start teaching. In fact, she originally never wanted to be a teacher.
First, she took a job in a middle school, but after discovering how much she loved working with the kids, she decided to go back in for her certification.
“I actually graduated from college with a degree in English and took a job working as a paraprofessional in a middle school because work in my specific field was very hard to find. I was surprised to find that I loved middle school and working with students! I was on an amazing team, and the teachers I worked with encouraged me to return to school and become a certified teacher.”
The fun never stops in her classroom – at least not for Mrs. Maddox herself. She thoroughly enjoys reading and writing the entire day. Her skills have become more developed with her teaching job, and she has improved aspects that she was originally nervous about.
“My favorite part of English to teach has become writing. When I was a new teacher, I felt very nervous about teaching writing, so I worked really hard to become more effective. Now writing days are my favorite days.”
While she enjoys writing, she enjoys her students just as much.
“I also really enjoy meeting students as freshmen and then getting to see them change and grow as they move through the grades. This spring my first freshman class [from BAHS] will graduate.”
It’s not only the students that Mrs. Maddox enjoys. She said that her colleagues in her department are one of the things she loves about Bellefonte.
“I work with amazing colleagues who support and encourage me.”
Her colleagues say the same about her. Junior English Teacher Mrs. Jennifer Walter finds Mrs. Maddox to be an “AMAZING” teacher.
”She is kind, smart, easygoing, and willing to help everyone out however she can. She has helped me with so many things, from giving me resources for fun projects to sharing books with my students. She even has offered to cover classes for some of us when we needed to step out for one reason or another. She’s pretty awesome,” Mrs. Walter said.
Maddox also advises the school’s D&D club, staying after school to provide a safe place for students to play the interactive game together.
While she loves teaching, it’s not all that Mrs. Maddox enjoys. As a mom of three boys, she often spends her time playing with them. This means days hiking outdoors, playing with race car tracks, and biking. Of course, settling in with a good book is always a relaxing activity.
After 16 years of teaching, Mrs. Maddox has a lot of time and experience as an English teacher – even if it’s not what she thought she would turn out to be.
