Going into college for a medical degree, Lindsey Bando decided that she didn’t want to pursue a career in the medical field. She wanted to help people and make relationships within her community. After racking her brain, Bando landed on teaching.
“Originally, I was going to go to school for something in the medical field. I ended up changing my mind when I was already in college. Teaching just seemed like a more natural fit for me because I felt like I could make more of a difference with kids and make them want to do something with their future,” Bando said.
One of the other major reasons Bando decided to pursue a teaching career was because of her previous teachers. Bando had grown up within the Portage school system and had some amazing teachers along the way. She wanted to make a difference in students' lives like those teachers had made in hers.
“I had a bunch of really good teachers growing up. I went to the Portage schools, and I had some really good teachers through middle school and high school. I especially liked how some of the teachers interacted with us and got us interested in learning. I thought, ‘Maybe I can help kids, get them more interested and involved in school,’” Bando said.
Bando teaches ninth grade English at Portage High School and at the alternative school in Portage. Bando has always loved to read and write, so she thought that English would be the most fun and passion-filled subject that she could teach.
“I always loved to read and write, so that was one of the things that I ended up thriving in when I was the one learning English. I thought that English would be my passion. Why not teach that to people? Maybe I can make that more fun for the kids that really struggle and don’t want to learn about it,” Bando said.
Bando’s favorite part of teaching is that she gets to make connections and relationships with every student that she has. She is able to make a difference in students' lives. Bando believes that trust in the classroom is one of the most important aspects of teaching.
“Once you get a student to trust you, they start actually listening to the lessons in the classroom and keep working up and maintaining that trust. You can get them to do anything, which is great because you can get them to do way more than they originally started out doing. I generally work with kids that struggle with a lack of motivation, so the first thing that I focus on is building a relationship with them because if I don’t do that, they are really not going to learn a whole lot from me,” Bando said.
Outside of the classroom, Bando spends most of her free time working out. She enjoys the sense of accomplishment that she feels and likes that she immediately feels better after. Bando also enjoys cooking and baking and likes that the two counteract each other.
“Working out is definitely how I spend most of my free time. I enjoy the sense of accomplishment, and when I finish, I feel better. It gives you a rush of endorphins; you feel like you can do anything after that. I feel like I have to do it because I love baking and cooking, and working out is something that counteracts that,” Bando said.
Bando grew up with her grandmother teaching her how to cook. Now, she enjoys baking and cooking for her family and is most known for her homemade cheesecake.
Along with her busy schedule, between teaching, working out, and baking/cooking, Bando loves to travel. Her favorite place that she’s traveled to is Mexico.
“I love Mexico because it’s not that far away. It gets a really bad rap sometimes in the media, but the people are so welcoming and the weather is so nice. The food is amazing, and the water is absolutely beautiful. It’s not that far; you can literally hop on a plane and be there in four hours,” Bando said.
Through her love of teaching and building lasting relationships with her students, Bando is making a positive impact on her community and everybody in it.