What was Taylor Swift like in elementary school according to her teachers?

One name alone has dominated the headlines in the entertainment pages over the past week since the release of The Tortured Poets Department. Whether it be breaking new Spotify streaming records or indirectly causing a London bar to be swarmed with fans due to a namecheck in a new song, the name of Taylor Swift has totally dominated the media limelight.

The album release has been positively received (by and large) by Swift fans and music critics alike and for many is a tour-de-force which showcases the 34-year-olds fine song craftsmanship and her intelligent and creative use of words to tell her (at times very personal) stories.

Two of Swift’s former teachers have spoken out on how the younger Taylor was an early academic.

“She always was writing poetry, always,” said now retired music teacher Barbara Kolvek. “Even in music class, even when she shouldn’t.”

Kolvek taught the superstar from first through fourth grade at the Wyndcroft School in Pottstown. She spoke fondly of her former student, with whom she stayed in touch for a time over email.

“I feel like maybe I gave her a little spark or encouragement to do what she was doing,” Kolvek told CBS Pennsylvania.

“I would say how proud I was of her and that she has never lost her focus and she’s never lost the real person that she is,” Kolvek added. “She’s always been very honest and open, and I admire that in her.”

Heather Brown is a former third grade teacher who had Swift in her first class. She told CBS, “Every student has a special quality.”

“And you always remember every student from the quality they have,” she said. “Taylor’s quality was just being she was one of those students where people just drew to.”