An Insight into the Life of Mr. Taylor Nash

A light of fun, happiness, and friendship is how to describe the funny, caring, talkative Mr. Taylor Nash, who hailed in Leitchfield, Kentucky, but was predominantly raised in Bowling Green, Kentucky. His parents moved to Bowling Green when he was young making him a resident and local. His goofy, lively, nature makes for a comfortable and interesting 6 ft 3 talking companion, that brightens your day as though light beams are shining in your surroundings. 

Teaching:

 He’s an English second language teacher (ESL), who has been teaching ESL for 11 years and unintentionally specializes in making the class a comfortable environment for kids to learn, understand, and improve by teaching them, understanding them, and being patient. He is a GHS alumnus and stated, “Greenwood is where I graduated from High School. It’s kinda like home for me, because it’s nostalgic and it’s like being in a community building.” Furthermore, when asked why he chose to work in Greenwood, he foretold that he had been an English teacher since 2013 and commented, “I’ve been teaching English as a second language, teaching not just ESL classes, but also social studies classes, and then a couple years ago Mr. Hatcher, the Principal at Greenwood, had an ESL teaching position open, and I worked with Mr. Hatcher in the past, and I enjoyed working with him, so I put in an application.” He also talked about his experience in working for the school and how he felt it was a dream come true, for him to have been able to return and work in a school he loved and for an administrative team and principal he liked working for.

For the little time he mentioned the principal, the respect he had for him was evident. When inquired, he commented that he respected Mr. Hatcher, and worked with him in an institution or program before. Then stated: “He and I have very similar views in terms of school culture and how to make a program that works not just for English language learners but for all students, and I really value that.” Explaining why he respected the principal. 

Although Mr.  Nash is an engaging teacher, he never thought he would be a teacher which led him to not take college seriously, due to him thinking he would serve in the military. His hearing loss caused the military to reject him, and he ended up becoming a teacher. 

Mr.  Nash recalled the times he heard his grandfather tell stories about being a teacher and it gave him an idea of a teaching career, so he studied history education and did not like it. He also did not have a good experience with his student teaching, it made him question what he did with his life, and he didn’t enjoy teaching history. Then he started teaching as a substitute at an ESL classroom with students from around the world. He immediately fell in love with it and how it gave him the idea of teaching history, though that idea diminished as he couldn’t view himself continuously teaching history. Although it ironically led to a successful teaching career that did not happen to be in history or social studies but in English. 

Childhood:

The childhood of Sir Nash: the Wise, was not always rainbows and sunshine. He felt as though his lack of hearing slowed him down when he was young. He was a little self-conscious about his hearing loss and felt as though he missed out on some things.  He didn’t get hearing aids till he was 18 because they were expensive, and his parents knew he would ruin them. He often struggled to make connections due to his lack of hearing, which attracted unwanted attention from peers as he was going through school. To his dismay, many of the students thought of him as “stuck up” and “arrogant” without any of them knowing his true nature, which in the end made them hypocritical and ignorant. To make good grades, Mr. Nash had to always sit in the front row and felt fortunate that his hearing loss never affected his pronunciation and speech. 

Sir. Nash was self-conscious about the way he looked; so wearing his hearing aids made him feel self-conscious although they blended in with his ears so much it was barely noticeable. Either way, Nash, affected by his age and surroundings, wanted to look nice, be presentable, and seem well put together in college, with his hearing aids making him feel the opposite. His amazing wife on the other hand cleared his mind of worry and made his mind at peace. 

Nash did not wear his aids until an event transpired while he was observing a class. This made him able to hear a loud teacher’s question but not a quiet student’s response, warning him to start wearing his hearing aids. And there was automatically a change he felt, where he was suddenly able to hear how much noise there was in his surroundings, making him realize just how much he was losing out on. 

Additionally, when asked about the reason why he stayed in Bowling Green considering it is a small town he quoted, “Family.” Without hesitation. Further stating, “Family was the reason, Family is everything to me, it is very important to my mom and dad, and my grandparents lived here before they passed away. My mom and dad lived very close to their parents.”

 Mr. Nash stated that he traveled abroad a lot and he specifically mentioned that he was given a teaching opportunity abroad, and a heartwarming story that explained why he didn’t go for it, started.“ I was offered a job teaching English in the Dominican Republic and I remember my grandmother calling me crying, saying, ” please don’t leave us, please don’t go!”. While he told the story of his grandmother, Mr. Nash’s tone and voice became heavy and full of emotion. It was clear that his grandmother played a huge part in his life, and that he cared for her. 

Mr. Nash continued “And that made up my mind, that I was gonna stay near family, and I’m really glad that I did and that I got a lot of quality time with my grandparents while they were alive.” Then he said something, a truth that not many get to experience, he said: “That is one of the things that you in life get to a point where at least for me I felt like I have been very fortunate that I’m in a point in life where I can go to a store and buy the things that I need to live, but the one thing I wish I had money to buy is more time with my grandparents”. Being raised not only by his parents but also by his grandparents gave him a sense of connection and a bond with his family. Something that not many people get to experience or feel, either because they never had the chance or because they are ignorant of it.  

Mr. Nash values his family and feels as though time with them is irreplaceable but he has made a point where he would travel during the summer. “Time with family is important but so is time for yourself.” This describes a healthy relationship both for family and one’s self. So over the summers, and in his time off he would travel, and he has traveled to 12 different countries altogether. 

Mr. Nash’s favorite city that he visited internationally is Barcelona. The architecture, food, and Culture, it was awesome to him, along with Munich Germany, as he admired German culture because it was very practical and efficient. His third favorite place is Greece, he described it as a very beautiful place with a beautiful culture, he specifically went to Santorini, a little island called the Cyclades Island in the Aegean Sea. 

He believes that the world is a big place with a lot to see, know, learn, and understand. He believes that people from many different cultures have more similarities than differences. For as long as he can, he wants to travel around the world and learn as much as possible. 

Written by: Amanatallah Al-tabba  أمانةُ الله الطبّاع 

Edited by: Zoey Ma, and Brycen McCabe.

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