Gallup High teacher helps students go off the beaten path
By Molly Ann Howell
Managing Editor
Each month, the Sun recognizes a local teacher for his or her determination to help students go above and beyond. Anyone can nominate a teacher by emailing the Sun at gallupsunreporters@gmail.com and providing the teacher’s name, where they teach, and why they should be selected as that month’s winner.
This month’s award went to Jeff Taylor, a vocational teacher at Gallup High School.
CHOOSING A CAREER
Taylor’s family moved to Gallup from Denver in the ‘70s, and he eventually graduated from Gallup High.
In an interview with the Sun, Taylor said he wasn’t sure what he wanted to do after high school, but he knew he wanted to coach football.
He decided to go to New Mexico Highlands University, where he decided to pursue an industrial arts degree. He said this degree opened up some options for him.
“[I thought if] I get into this and I don’t like it I can always go to construction,” he explained. “I’ve always kind of liked building things.”
After college he returned to Gallup, and he is now in his 39th year of teaching at Gallup High.
He did go into coaching; he held multiple coaching positions with both the Gallup High football team and the Miyamura track team. He was the head coach of the Gallup High football team from 1994 to 2000.
GIVING KIDS OPTIONS AFTER HIGH SCHOOL
In the almost 40 years that he’s been teaching, Taylor’s job has changed quite a bit. He has switched between teaching woodworking classes and metal classes, but currently he teaches the metalworking classes.
He said one of his favorite aspects of his job is the fact that he’s helping kids realize there’s other options besides the traditional four-year college path.
“I think it’s hard for kids to find something to do when they graduate from high school,” he said. “There’s so many options, and everything’s gotten so expensive. Right now, there’s such a big push to get everyone to go to college, but there’s a lot of good jobs that pay good money where you can go trade schools and get certification and a job with seven months of training.”
Taylor took time to applaud many of his students, noting that many of them have gone to the SkillsUSA competitions. SkillsUSA is a workforce development organization that empowers students to become skilled professionals, career-ready leaders, and responsible community members.
“It’s not an academic area, but I’ve found that a lot of the kids I have in class have a lot of talent with hand-eye coordination,” Taylor said. “I have a lot of kids who are just good at welding.”
Taylor truly encourages many of his students to look into trade school. But he said he also enjoys it when they come back and ask him about teaching the industrial arts.
One former student recently asked him about teaching, and he had one suggestion. The student had spent some time working in the industry and was now looking to come back to the Gallup area.
“You’ve got to be patient, especially if you’re coming out of the industry,” Taylor explained. “Being a teacher is not like being a pipeline welder.”
Gallup High Principal Khristopher Latson spoke highly of Taylor.
“He’s one of the teachers who really connects with the students,” he said. “He advocates for the students to figure out what they want to do after high school.”
