Why students, friends, colleagues are so devastated at death of Johnson County teacher

Students have been leaving potatoes outside of Lakewood Middle School in Overland Park this week.

While it might seem odd, potatoes baking in the record heat, many feel it’s a fitting tribute to 28-year-old math teacher and track coach Taylor Eddings, whose death on Friday has rattled the community.

“She had a very good sense of humor. Around her colleagues and her kids, she would joke around a lot,” Lakewood Principal Lisa Stolper said. “And she loved potatoes. There was a running joke that kids would bring her potatoes all the time. They’d draw faces on them, decorate them, and she’d keep them in her classroom up for them to see until they were rotten.

“It became a huge thing. Any kid who had Ms. Eddings will be able to tell you she loved potatoes and at some point probably brought her a potato.”

Eddings had just begun her eighth year at Lakewood when she was hit by a vehicle in Olathe and died. She’s described by friends as an inspiring, dedicated teacher who had lasting connections with her students. Through her teaching and coaching, she was well-known throughout the Blue Valley school district as a trustworthy and empathetic leader.

“Taylor was the epitome of what it means to teach,” said Paula Black, a seventh grade math teacher at Lakewood. “When students were sharing stories on Monday, no one was talking about how great she was because she taught them how to do math, even though she was an incredible instructor. Instead, they talked about how she made them feel and how connected they felt with her.

“Her loss and the reaction by the community and the students is a reminder that a teacher’s job goes beyond teaching content. It’s about being there for students and making them feel important — and Taylor was the best at it.”

The loss has cut the community deeply. Former students have visited her classroom throughout this week. Many have dropped off flowers at the school and are wearing teal, Eddings’ favorite color, to honor her.

Eddings was struck by a vehicle around 8:20 p.m. Friday, when she was walking near East Kansas City Road and North Central Street, Olathe police said. She was taken to a hospital and later pronounced dead.

She could ‘really connect’ with students

Friends said Eddings was known for lifting everyone’s spirits, bringing levity during the COVID-19 pandemic, teacher shortages and other difficult moments.

One way she loved to lighten the mood: pranks.

Eddings regularly pulled jokes on fellow teachers, Stolper said, which eventually escalated to an ongoing prank war.

“She moved a co-worker’s car to another parking lot so the teammate thought her car had been stolen,” Black said. “Taylor also, with another co-worker, filled hundreds of plastic cups with water and placed them outside another colleague’s door so the colleague had to empty every single one before getting into her class.”

Her joy and lightheartedness were felt by students, too. One of the younger teachers, Eddings kept up to speed with pop culture news and TikTok trends, Stolper said, making it easy for her to relate to her middle schoolers. And her students often felt comfortable turning to her for advice, friends said.

“She was an excellent teacher, and kids in her classroom made great academic gains. But she was the kind of teacher that kids remember long after they leave her classroom,” Stolper said. “She made a point to build relationships with her kids and really connect with them and make sure they felt cared for. Her classroom was a safe space for them.

“That’s a big part of the reason why so many kids are struggling so much with this. Ms. Eddings was so much more than their teacher. She was someone they really cared about and who cared about them. They viewed her as a mentor.”

A ‘kind, witty’ friend

Eddings was from Marshalltown, Iowa, and attended Iowa State University, friends told The Star.

Brooke Sanders met her during their freshman year of college and said they “clicked right away and were inseparable.”

“Taylor was kind, witty, and always up for an adventure,” Sanders said. “She was a loyal friend who always had your back. We had so much fun together.”

Sanders said she got to watch Eddings teach a few times, “and she was always one of those teachers who was knowledgeable in the content she was teaching. She always made sure students understood and felt confident. Middle school is such an important time in a young person’s life, and I have no doubt Taylor made a lasting impression on each student she taught. Her school was lucky to have such a dedicated teacher.”

Maggie VanCamp said she also lived in the dorms with Eddings and Sanders at Iowa State.

“Taylor was the type of friend everyone needs. Spontaneous, fun, adventurous and forever loyal. She’d be ready to go to war for us,” she said. “She was driven and she was excited for her future as a teacher and her dreams of becoming a principal.”

Her old roommates said Eddings was close with her family, who live in Iowa, and considered her parents her best friends. She “always put them first,” VanCamp said.

“I have very fond memories of our adventures together,” she said. “Hiking and fishing at Ledges State Park, fun nights at home in our apartment, and even adopting and co-parenting a bunny named Jax together. She was always down to do anything.”

A ‘natural leader’ in Blue Valley

When she started her teaching career, Eddings quickly became embedded in the Blue Valley schools community, friends said. While she most recently was head track coach at Lakewood, Stolper said she also had previously coached cross-country and girls basketball.

Stolper called Eddings a “connector of people,” saying she was a natural leader who brought the staff at Lakewood together.

Black said even though she was older than Eddings, she, “along with many other teachers, looked up to her.”

“Taylor was the teacher you want your child to have,” she said. “She truly believed that creating relationships with students was the most important part of her job, and there was no one better at making students feel special.”

Black said Eddings was a “lifeline” for her during the COVID-19 pandemic, and when she came back to teaching after a 10-year absence.

“I was not up to date on the technology that was being used in the classroom. Taylor took me under her wing and patiently helped me get better at utilizing technology in the classroom,” she said.

Stolper said the district has provided social workers and others to speak with students as they process their grief. And on Monday, fellow seventh grade teachers made time to meet with students and exchange their favorite memories of Eddings.

“Kids wanted to see their old teachers who they knew were Taylor’s closest friends in the building,” Stolper said. “It was a rough day. There were a lot of tears, a lot of grief. But I think it was really special for the kids to be with their old teachers and get to tell stories about Taylor and reminiscence about being in her classroom.”

Stolper said that the impact Eddings had on the Blue Valley community shows how valuable teachers are.

“With COVID and everything, teachers have gotten a bad rap. It’s been really hard for educators in our profession,” she said. “And I think everything we’ve seen over the last few days goes to show what an impact teachers do make on kids. In a tragic situation like this, they’re remembering who she was and how she cared about them as people. The true impact she made on their lives.”

Friends and community members have planned a celebration of life, from 10 a.m. to noon Aug. 26 at Lionsgate clubhouse, 5861 Edgewater Drive, Overland Park. Guests are asked to wear teal.

Includes reporting by The Star’s Andrea Klick.