Zachary Taylor

• Position: DC english teacher 
• Degrees & Alma Mater: bachelors in fine arts
• School Activities: NEHS sponsor
• Years at Caney Creek: 11
• Years Teaching: 19

How would other people describe your high-school self?

My high school self, yeah, I was in a lot of sports, basketball, football, mostly football, so very athletic, but I was also in a lot of extracurriculars. I did drama and debate, performing arts student. So I thought of myself as very creative, very informed. I was really involved with my school. I wouldn’t say I was the most popular kid, but people knew me from athletics and because I performed in plays and things like that. So I was a really funny guy in high school, much more than I am now. I liked to joke around and dance and act silly in the hallways and stuff. I was the entertainer, I was also very smart, High GPA high grades.

Was there a career you wanted to pursue OR pursued before teaching?

Acting, I thought I was gonna maybe pursue Hollywood or Broadway or something like that. Athletics was kind of part of that, but when I got to college, I realized that I didn’t have the right size or speed to compete with a lot of the college athletes, and I wasn’t really recruited for athletics out of high school, so my first bachelor’s degree is in theater education, or actually, it was Bachelor of Fine Arts. I was a performing arts student. Then I got into theater education, and that’s how I decided I wanted to teach and when I transitioned from the performance side to the education side.

What do you do outside of school for fun? Why?

I like to go a lot of concerts. I see a lot of bands perform, or I go to the movies, hang out with friends, try to do a lot of like the arts kind of things. I enjoy live performances. Go to the occasional museum, you know, kind of educational stuff. As you get older, you know, you tend to do more learning opportunities than just, you know, hanging out and socializing and things like that, but I like to spend time with friends and family. I also watch sports, My favorite team is the Cowboys.

Tell us the story about what you are most proud of yourself for.

I got what’s called a monty award. I did the sound for a show at the Owen theater in Conroe and that was the first time I’d ever actually gotten the Monty award is pretty much like the Tony Awards for Conroe theater district. And so I got to, you know, walk on stage and accept the speech give and accept or accept the award and give an acceptance speech. And so that was a really proud moment. But then after that, I was also named the 2015 2016 secondary teacher of the year for Conroe ISD

What is something you are thankful for and why?

thankful that I can have the opportunity to run these half marathons. I’m in my mid 40s now, and I’m still healthy enough to do it. I started the summer of 2023 and it took me seven months to train, and I finally ran my first one in March of this year. I’m also thankful that both of my parents are still around, that I can conversate with my parents, and go visit them. I know a lot of people have lost their parents, especially when you get older. I can still talk to my parents, so I’m thankful for them, thankful for my family, thankful for friends, and I’m also thankful for my career.

What do you hope to be remembered for?

I just want to know that I had a really good impact on my students’ lives, but on people’s lives in general, I don’t want people to look back and be like, you know, that’s the guy that they can respect. I don’t necessarily have to be the guy that they look up to, but, but someone that they respect, they feel like actually made a difference. You know? I know sometimes people think about somebody, the first thing they think of is something negative about that person. I want people to think something positive about me. Yeah, even if I don’t become a famous person or I’m not the most heroic person, at least people think of me in a positive light.

Favorites

• Food: Smoothies/fruit juices
• Music: Heavy metal
• TV Show: “Robotech” 
• Movie: “The Crow”
• Book: “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald 
• Teacher: High school english and theater arts teacher Ms. Mcgill