Ok class, it’s pop quiz time: Where can you work, live, and play in the same community without having to get in your car? If you answered SouthWood, you are correct. First grade teacher Barbara Haegele takes advantage of this everyday thanks to her SouthWood home’s proximity to J. Michael Conley Elementary School. “I live only four blocks from the school, it’s great. I love my commute!” says Haegele.
Haegele first discovered SouthWood when her daughter and son-in-law moved here five years ago. After being a part of South Florida’s fast paced and congested environment for so many years, Barbara and her husband decided it was time for a lifestyle change and they couldn’t resist the chance to live closer to their daughter and grand children. Once they decided to make the move to Tallahassee, it didn’t take long for them to choose SouthWood as the community they wanted to spend the rest of their lives in. “It’s a great community, plus, thanks to the Art of Living, it offers activities for every generation,” says Barbara.
She thought her life in SouthWood couldn’t get any better until she learned that Leon County’s newest elementary school would be constructed just four blocks from her Woodland Fields home. She knew that because of Principal Ray King’s reputation as an educational leader and all the great technology this new school was going to offer, she had to be a part of the Conley School @ SouthWood family. Not to mention the school’s proximity to her home. She interviewed for a first grade teaching position and was hired.
Haegele is thrilled to be a part of the all-star faculty at the Conley School @ SouthWood and loves teaching first grade. She feels that students grow so much academically between the time they enter the classroom for the first time to the final bell signaling the start of summer.
When asked what she enjoys most about teaching, Haegele smiles and says, “The kids themselves!” Even though she is a knowledgeable, veteran teacher, she still continues to learn. Since Conley is equipped with top-tier technology such as interactive white boards, digital cameras, lap-top computers, among other high tech gizmos, she can sometimes hear a few giggles from her students when they see she struggles to operate her interactive white board. Opportunities like this allow her to explain to her students that you are never too old to learn!
Barbara Haegele is one of many people living the SouthWood dream. Call the SouthWood Sales and Information Center today at 850.513.3001 for more information and to take the first step toward creating your lifestyle dream.
SouthWood Residents, Join MySouthWood.org