a Teacher Great? other websites. Most important, though, are contacts that
Bailey says she looks for teachers who are “bright, whose
come through referrals or teachers who have seen people
egos aren’t bigger than themselves and are open to learning
from Breck at a conference and want to know more about
more. We listen closely when they talk about themselves,
the school.
their strengths and where they want to grow. You can get a
“I don’t feel like a salesperson,” Healy explains, “because for the right people the school sells itself. When they learn
general feeling pretty quickly about a young person who knows she or he wants to be surrounded by good mentors.”
more about what we do and the way we do it, people get
“We make sure candidates have a chance to meet with
really excited.”
students informally and not just in a teaching situation,”
Strong candidates are invited to Breck and often teach sample classes. “Watching someone teach can make a huge difference, especially when candidates seem similar on
says Fauver. “It’s pretty telling right away. Middle School kids can be a real challenge. You know when you have a natural on your hands.”
paper,” says Taylor. He adds, “And it works the same way for
Says Healy, “And once we get candidates here to campus,
them, because a school in the abstract and Breck are not the
you can just tell that they get it. Even people who arrive with
same thing. Faculty members have to commit to being part
some hesitation leave convinced that Breck is a place that
of the life of the school, so they need to get a feel for us at the
really delivers on its promise.”
same time we’re evaluating them.”
Five of our current Master Teachers, left to right: Alice Wright, Lisa Hunninghake, Tom Hegg, Sarah Flotten ’85 and Karen Pape. Not pictured: Carol Harrison and Jacob Miller.
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