Brandyn Peyton, a former Lake Braddock Middle School student teacher who studied in a seventh grade English class under Lise Mandes, has left for the end of the fall college semester.

The reason why Peyton is special is because, unlike most student teachers, she has found a way to stay a little longer.

Peyton can do this, because she has been offered a job as a long term substitute for the after-school specialist Sarah Padilla, who is out for maternity leave for 10 weeks beginning in March.

“I just love Lake Braddock, and I wanted to stay here,” Peyton said.

Mandes, who supervised Payton in her class, is also excited about Peyton’s temporary job.

“It is only for this year, but we are hoping that it turns into something bigger,” Mandes said.

Mandes also thinks that because of Peyton’s experience at Lake Braddock, it will increase Peyton’s chance of getting a job as a full-time middle school English teacher somewhere in Fairfax County and possibly Lake Braddock.

The job of a student teacher is to learn about managing a classroom and to the get the feel of being a real full-time teacher.

The reason why Peyton became a student teacher in the first place was a requirement for obtaining her English teaching license, which she has to have in order to be a certified teacher, which is required to teach in FCPS public schools.

This temporary job can help Peyton pay off college tuition and other expenses.

After she gets her degree and teaching license at George Mason University, Peyton hopes to become a full-time English teacher somewhere in Fairfax County.