Aidan Lake is the newest student teacher at North Harford under direction of the English and Journalism teacher, Mrs. Jennifer Chandler. Lake is currently a first year college student enrolled at Harford Community College.

      The former Bel Air High student is currently an education major and a history minor with aspirations to someday teach history. “I feel the need to contribute to society,” said Lake. “I have always been extremely interested in the history and am fairly knowledgeable about it. I aim to share that love with students and I think that passion for the content will allow me to enjoy my career,” said Lake.

      In addition with being a full time student and a student teacher, Lake also has a full time job. “ It is very difficult,”  he cautioned.  “Most of my time at home is spent studying and doing homework. Some advice I would give is: Planning is key. I set goals on what I want to accomplish each day and plan how i want to accomplish them.”

     Because Lake is a college freshman, a lot of students are very close in age to him. Lake described himself as “barely older” than them. “I think the strangest part for me was getting used to teaching students who may only be a year or two younger than I am. I was worried at first that students may not take me seriously because I am so young, but they have done an excellent job in treating me with respect as they would with any other teacher, and I am thankful for that.” Lake acknowledged.  Rather than letting this get in his way, he is able to use his age as a tool. “It gives me an advantage for connecting with students, “ he explained  

       Students had so many good things to say about Lake.  Sophomore James Zangrilli, has worked with by Lake. “I like Mr. Lake because he is really personable and easy to talk to.”  Another student, sophomore Ellie Evans, has also gotten to work with Lake. “I think it is really helpful, he can come around and help students that need help. He is more than just another person in the classroom, he is a resource.” she stated.

   Along with getting to work with students during his time here, Lake is able to observe and learn from other teachers by working alongside them. “The main thing I want to learn is the art of teaching, to make sure it is the right field for me. So far, NH has been very welcoming and has provided an atmosphere for me to grow as a future teacher.”

   Being a Bel Air High School alum Lake was bound to have some preconceived notions about North Harford. “The stereotype around NH had always been “country”. Coming from a different atmosphere at Bel Air, I expected it to be wildly different.” He later confirmed “it isn’t too different from Bel Air.”

  Lake wanted to thank the students and staff for being so welcoming “They have all certainly helped me learn about becoming a teacher. The experience I received here is priceless and I cherish every minute of it.“