In just two years of teaching history, Kaylie Ayres has already hit the trinity of teaching—part historian, part entertainer, part mentor—with her full dedication to making her students feel like they belong.

However, becoming a teacher wasn’t always the plan, and it didn’t happen until her third year of college. Originally a political science major, Ayres realized she wasn’t “super enthused” about her career options. Switching to a career in education felt much more natural to her.

 “It was the most related to what I was studying and what my interests were,” Ayres said. “Honestly, I couldn’t see myself teaching anything else, maybe English, but something about history is just significant.”

Ayres admits that teaching history can be tough at times. Her main challenge in teaching her students is building their independence.

 “Freshmen are very used to having everything spoon-fed to them,” Ayres said. “ When it’s time to do something on their own or something less structured, it falls apart.” 

Ayres describes her teaching style as “chaotic,” which she thinks her students would agree with.

“I try out a lot of different methods and strategies to get different kinds of students engaged,” Ayres said. “One day we’re analyzing political cartoons, the next we’re making posters. Every day is a new opportunity to try something else—which creates some chaos.”