She moves through the Bursley Elementary classroom at ease, smiling, answering questions, and encouraging students to think critically at their tables.

Blair looks like an experienced teacher, but she’s just wrapping up her student teaching. 

Thanks to West Michigan Teacher Collaborative (WMTC), though, she has fast-tracked her goal to become a teacher, all while still working full-time as a paraprofessional within Jenison Public Schools. 

Later this month she will be honored along with other WMTC graduates for completing the program and committing to teach in West Michigan for the near future.

Blair said the support of WMTC - the classes, the connections, and the mentoring - has been instrumental in helping her pursue a new career path in education.

“I am like a sponge, absorbing as much I can and learning as much as I can,” she said.

Bursley Elementary Principal Racheal Postle-Brown said her school has benefited immensely from Blair’s presence. She has done additional training to develop an expertise in vision impairments along with her focus on instruction and pedagogy.  

“Hayley has been an amazing addition to our staff at Bursley. She takes a great deal of pride and ownership in her work.” Postle-Brown said. “She has done a great job balancing everything and making a positive impact on our entire 6th grade.”

Alyssa Veltema, a categorical ASD teacher at Bursley, has worked with Blair for the past two years. She described her as a compassionate person who works hard to build strong relationships with students. 

“Hayley is an amazing advocate for our students with disabilities and is constantly brainstorming new ways to promote learning and belonging for ALL students,” Veltema said. “Her future students will be so lucky to have her!”

Blair has an undergraduate degree in biology from Grand Valley State University. She joined the Americorps NCCC, the federal agency for national service and volunteerism, after graduation. 

During her time on the West Coast, she participated in an educational program that helped students raise salmon in the classroom and then release them in the wild. She realized that she really liked the school environment. So when she returned to Michigan, she accepted an open ASD/VI paraprofessional position at Bursley. 

Soon she heard about WMTC, which helps lower the bureaucratic and financial barriers to the teaching profession while maintaining high standards for teacher preparation and quality. In other words, she could get teaching certification without going back to school full time. She had to pursue it.

“It worked out,” Blair said. “The timing was perfect.”

She applied and was selected to participate in the program in April 2024. Her classes used a hybrid model of in-person and online instruction to develop the knowledge, skills, and mindsets she needs to be an effective teacher, according to WMTC.

All through the rigorous process to become a teacher, Blair has felt welcomed and appreciated by her Bursley Elementary family. She wouldn’t change a thing.

“I fell in love with it really quick,” she said about the school. “I am so excited, so grateful.”