教师问&A:凯瑟琳·布罗菲
Brophy is a Teacher Prep/Education Program Coordinator for GBCC’s Teacher Preparation Program
Catherine Brophy is an innovative and creative leader in the field of education, with more than 30 years of experience across educational settings in New Hampshire, and expertise in the use of technology to expand and enhance inclusion and equity. 在大流行期间，她的技能得到了及时证明, 当Great Bay转向远程教育时, and will be vital going forward as the college blends hybrid learning in its efforts to train the teachers of tomorrow.
Brophy, who lives in Stratham, coordinates Great Bay’s teacher preparation program. She has a background in K-12 education with teaching experience at middle- and elementary-schools and has worked at the district level integrating technology. She is certified as a principal in New Hampshire and spent several years creating 在线 and blended professional development content for Heinemann Publishing of Portsmouth. 她也是谷歌认证讲师, who understands the role of technology in building healthy learning communities.
The education program at Great Bay prepares students to transfer to four-year schools and to work as paraeducators. Students spend much of the first year in the field observing, and in the second year they choose an area of specialty, 包括数学, 科学, 社会科学, 英语, 外语, 特殊教育, 以及基础教育.
布罗菲已经在Great Bay工作了三年, and recently spoke about career and the state of education today.
什么风把你吹到大湾来了?
“I was looking for opportunities and happened to see that Great Bay had an opening. 我觉得这个职位很适合我. 在我职业生涯的早期, 我在普利茅斯州立大学教书, 和纳舒厄社区学院, so I had some experience at the community college level. I have always enjoyed working with teachers and young adults, 分享专业知识和知识, and trying to make the world better one teacher at a time.”
What are the strengths of the teacher prep program at Great Bay?
“It’s a very strong preparation program for students who want to transfer into a four-year university. They are provided a solid background in the foundations of education, 我们也会教异常入门, and within those two courses students are required to have 50 hours of field-observation experience in a K-12 setting. They get a lot of exposure to best teaching practices on the Seacoast.
I am able to bring my connections to the many school districts I have come in contact with over my years to really connect students with teachers and administrators who are at the top of their profession. 新罕布什尔州有很好的学校. What our students are seeing when they go into those classrooms is very good teaching. 这非常鼓舞人心.”
是谁激励了你?
“I come from a family of educators, though not in a traditional sense. My grandmother many years ago had one of the first day-cares out of her home in Massachusetts, 教育小孩子. 我叔叔是一名高中商业老师. My mother worked with 特殊教育 students for many years, and my daughter has followed in her footsteps and is working in a high school as a special educator right now.”
你们现在的班级规模是多少?
“现在的课程几乎都满了, 每班15到20名学生, 我认为这是一个完整的课程负担. And the students I am seeing are very enthusiastic about wanting to be a teacher, in spite of the negativity that teachers are experiencing all around them. The students at Great Bay are there because they want to be there. They want to get a degree and go work in a field of their choice. 这是鼓舞人心的.
I feel that teaching is a leadership position right now in New Hampshire society, and one of service. 大多数学生都赞同这种观点. They want a way to give back and help children and families. They are not doing it for the money or to promote themselves. They just want to make a difference in their communities.”
Many of your students are already working in the field, 正确的, because the demand for teachers right now is so great?
“这是正确的. I have many students working in schools during the day and who are finishing their coursework at night, 在线. 需求如此之大. Local school districts have been very supportive and flexible to the extent they can be.”
这仍然是成为一名教师的好时机?
“这是一个绝佳的时机. 我没有确切的数字, but New Hampshire has had a lot of teacher retirements and more will be retiring this year. Many teachers had been staying in their careers because it’s a good career and they love their jobs, but these last two years have been very difficult for a lot of people, and many have made the choice that it is a good time to retire and a good time to let the next generation of teachers take over.
为什么现在成为一名教师?
The teacher education programs in New Hampshire provide the highest quality education experiences I have seen throughout my career. It is more important than ever to encourage students of all ages to become educators for the future. All of my students have been inspired by one or more great teachers in their lives. They will now go on to inspire the next generation of innovators, 科学家们, 艺术家, 作家, 并且交易人们.
