Showcase Q&A: Payson’s Archer discusses college choice, desire to teach and psychology class
The fourth annual Muddy River Showcase takes place June 21 at John Wood Community College’s Student Activity Center. The girls game will tip at 2 p.m. with the boys game to follow at 4 p.m. General admission is $10.
PAYSON, Ill. — Like most children, Ella Archer had visions of grandeur.
Now, those lofty dreams have given way to a passion for teaching. Archer, a three-sport athlete at Payson Seymour, will attend Culver-Stockton College in the fall and begin her path toward a degree in elementary education.
“When I was little, I wanted to do not really super logical things,” Archer said. “Since probably my freshman year, I’ve wanted to teach.”
Her dreams of being a trick rider in a rodeo when she was in first grade have been put to the side in favor of a career in molding young minds.
“One of the biggest reasons I wanted to teach is to be someone kids can look up to as an individual, not like, ‘Oh, I want to learn like her,’ but to learn how to treat other people and how to be a good person,” Archer said. “I also want to be someone who, when the kids come to school, they feel safe with and can confide in if they don’t always have someone like that.”
Archer is currently working with 11- to 14-year-old children at the Kroc Center’s summer camp. While those kids are past the grades Archer wants to teach — likely third or fourth grade — she believes her work at that summer camp will serve her well in her teaching career.
“Teaching is a lot more than material,” Archer said. “It’s definitely given me a good perspective on just how much that is and all the different things you have to put into play, like about the kids individually, how they’re going to interact with each other and talk to you and things like that.”
Archer will play for the Illinois girls team in the fourth annual Muddy River Showcase. She discussed her work at the Kroc Center, a familiar face she will have at C-SC — and one she will play with in the showcase — and more with Muddy River Sports Writer Shane Hulsey in this Showcase Q&A.
Q: What are you looking forward to most about playing the Muddy River Showcase?
A: I would say I’m excited just to play again. I definitely miss basketball. And to be able to play with all these talented people. I’ve always played against them, so I’m excited to get to play with them.
Q: I know you and Chloe Shaffer are pretty close. What’s your friendship like with Chloe?
A: Yeah, we’ve known each other since we were little. We shot trap together in fifth grade, and our families are close friends, so I was definitely excited to see her name and be able to play with her.
Q: What is Chloe like?
A: We don’t see each other super often, but whenever we run into each other, it’s easy to talk to her. We can just visit like we see each other almost every day, which is nice.
Q: What is she like on the court?
A: She’s pretty versatile. She can drive when she needs to, but she can also shoot well, and she’s quick. She’s a very well-rounded player.
Q: What are your college plans?
A: I am going to Culver-Stockton in the fall for elementary education. I’m really excited about that.
Q: What is it going to be like having Chloe at C-SC with you?
A: It will definitely be nice just having somebody up there who I’m familiar with. I don’t know if we’ll have a whole lot of classes together, but just having somebody up there who I know outside of this new experience will be nice.
Q: Are you playing any sports at Culver?
A: No, but I definitely will be playing in the intramurals. I always knew that college sports would be an option, but I just wanted to take a step back and be able to find myself outside of sports.
Q: What does your work at the Kroc Center entail?
A: They have a schedule they go through every day. A couple times, they’ll go into the gym to play games. They get to swim every day. They have a little daily Bible lesson, just different things like that. It’s good socialization for them, too.
Q: How do you think that experience is going to help you once you get into teaching?
A: I think it will be helpful as far as reassuring myself that this is what I want to do. It’s not something that’s always going to be easy, but by doing this now, I’ll be able to know what’s going to work and just kind of get into the routine of things.
Q: Do you still ride horses?
A: No, I’ve never had horses or anything. I don’t know, just when I was little, that’s what I wanted to do.
Q: What was your favorite class in high school?
A: I really loved my psychology class. I took it this year. Hand-in-hand with that, I took sociology last semester. My teacher for that class was one of my favorite teachers. I loved being able to see how the two classes connected, and the environment in the classroom, too. I also loved my English class because that was also one of my favorite teachers, and we did a lot of subjective things like poetry analysis, film analysis, things like that. It helped me grow in terms of forming my own opinions and looking deeper into things.
Q: Are you a big reader?
A: Not really. I’ve started reading a couple books on my own, but I’m not a super active reader.
Q: What’s your favorite color and why?
A: Yellow. It’s always been my favorite color. It just brings me joy.
Q: Do you have a go-to pre-game meal?
A: Not specifically, but usually the day before, I’d carb load and eat macaroni or something. I don’t know if it really changed anything, but it at least tricked myself into thinking it helped.
Check out more of the Muddy River Showcase Q&As at the links below:
Payson Seymour’s Blake Schwartz
South Shelby’s Callie McWilliams
West Hancock’s Lewis Siegfried
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