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Education Alumni Profiles: Layne Castleman (’16)
January 01, 2020
"Ouachita prepared me for my career by always reminding me to learn from the Master
Teacher. I frequently remind myself to look to Jesus as an example of good teaching:
high expectations, yet full of Grace, Mercy and Love."
Layne Castleman chose Ouachita after hearing about it from her parents. Both of them attended Ouachita, and she always knew she wanted to follow in their footsteps.
After graduating from Ouachita, Layne moved back to Dallas and got a job teaching 3rd grade in a Title I School in Mesquite ISD. This unique opportunity during her first year of teaching brought her many different challenges, but she stated that she knew the Lord had brought her there for a greater purpose.
When thinking of her favorite OBU Education Program memory, Layne recalls getting to travel to Orlando with a few of her professors and classmates for the Kappa Delta Pi Conference. “We had a blast and got to learn from those who we otherwise would never have crossed paths with!”
Another Ouachita experience she said she would never forget happened during her Practicum course when her first formal observation did not go as well as she wanted. “My lesson was a complete and utter failure, and it took all I had not to run out of the room crying! Dr. Collins could tell that something was off, and instead of pointing out mistakes in my lesson, I received a text from her that said, ‘What’s your favorite Sonic drink? Meet me in my office in 20 min.’ We sat in her office and she encouraged me that I was MADE to do this! He has a purpose for me. The grace and love that she showed me in those moments warm my heart still!”
Looking back over her first two years of teaching, Layne’s favorite P-12 classroom memory is the fact that every morning, without fail, some of her most difficult students from last year still come by for a hug. “There were so many days that I felt that I failed them, let myself get angry, didn’t give my all, yet they still knew that I love them! It’s such a joy to see later that I was able to be a positive part of their lives, and still am!”
Thank you, Layne Castleman, for being a life-changing educator!
Layne Castleman:
- Class of 2016
- BA in Elementary Education and Spanish — Ouachita Baptist University
- 3rd Grade Teacher: All Subjects — Motley Elementary, Mesquite, TX
- Mesquite ISD First Class Teacher Award — Motley Elementary, Mesquite, TX
Layne Castleman chose Ouachita after hearing about it from her parents. Both of them attended Ouachita, and she always knew she wanted to follow in their footsteps.
After graduating from Ouachita, Layne moved back to Dallas and got a job teaching 3rd grade in a Title I School in Mesquite ISD. This unique opportunity during her first year of teaching brought her many different challenges, but she stated that she knew the Lord had brought her there for a greater purpose.
When thinking of her favorite OBU Education Program memory, Layne recalls getting to travel to Orlando with a few of her professors and classmates for the Kappa Delta Pi Conference. “We had a blast and got to learn from those who we otherwise would never have crossed paths with!”
Another Ouachita experience she said she would never forget happened during her Practicum course when her first formal observation did not go as well as she wanted. “My lesson was a complete and utter failure, and it took all I had not to run out of the room crying! Dr. Collins could tell that something was off, and instead of pointing out mistakes in my lesson, I received a text from her that said, ‘What’s your favorite Sonic drink? Meet me in my office in 20 min.’ We sat in her office and she encouraged me that I was MADE to do this! He has a purpose for me. The grace and love that she showed me in those moments warm my heart still!”
Looking back over her first two years of teaching, Layne’s favorite P-12 classroom memory is the fact that every morning, without fail, some of her most difficult students from last year still come by for a hug. “There were so many days that I felt that I failed them, let myself get angry, didn’t give my all, yet they still knew that I love them! It’s such a joy to see later that I was able to be a positive part of their lives, and still am!”
Thank you, Layne Castleman, for being a life-changing educator!
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