About Me
My name is Brian Ehret and I have been in the field of education as a classroom teacher for ten years. The inspiration to become a teacher began in the fall of 1991 upon meeting my fifth grade teacher Mrs. Malone at Worrall Elementary School in Broomall, PA. Her enthusiasm and easy-going nature in the classroom instilled the love of learning and the desire to educate others within myself. Throughout the rest of my grade school years, I had many good teachers, but too often I had many teachers that just did not make the grade. At that point, I made it my mission to take the points from those teachers that were good and begin my studies to become just as good, if not better, than the ones that I admired.
Upon my graduation from the University of Delaware in May of 2003 with a BS in Elementary Education, I attained my first teaching position as a “thirty-day count hire” in a self-contained fifth grade classroom at Southern Elementary School in New Castle, DE. This was a unique situation due to the fact that my class roster was created from the selection of the other seven fifth grade classrooms in the school. Most of the students chosen to create my class had either learning or behavior issues. This posed a major challenge as a first year teacher. Upon surviving my initial year, I made it my goal to strengthen my classroom management and discipline skills.
The next three years of my career were spent in the city of Wilmington, DE at a charter school that specialized in the Performing Arts called Kuumba Academy. Utilizing the principles of Kwanzaa, this school was not your typical school. This new school was outfitted in an old bank building, with no playground, dance class as the physical education special, and a computer lab located in the bank’s vault. Kuumba Academy had small class sizes, with a strong family atmosphere, which gave meaning to the quote that it takes a village to raise a child. It was a perfect opportunity for a fresh start in a new school. During my tenure at Kuumba Academy I was able to improve upon my management and discipline skills and undertake various leadership positions. It was here that I became a mentor for new teachers, and even earned a position on the Kuumba Academy Board. From all of this my confidence in my abilities to teach and to handle even the toughest situations soared.
The next step on my journey landed me a position as a fourth grade teacher in the Haddon Township School District in Westmont, NJ. Van Sciver Elementary School is the largest of five elementary schools within the district, as well as being the most diverse socio-economically and ethnically. My teaching abilities continued to grow; yet I felt like a little fish in a big sea. After three years I was transferred to Edison Elementary, a much smaller school within the district. I was now the only fourth grade teacher in the building and was able to have more immediate opportunities for leadership positions. At Edison, I have become the Teacher-in-Charge, for when my principal is not in the building, it is my responsibility to handle student-discipline and other vital concerns. I also chair for the Science Fair, am advisor for the Safety Patrol, and the co-chair of the School Based Professional Development Committee, the HTEA building representative, and the school’s Anti-Bullying Specialist. Teachers also routinely consult me for technology troubleshooting as well.
It was at this juncture that my interest in school administration began to take form. The idea of helping other teachers improve their educational pedagogy and having a more direct influence on all students prompted me to begin my studies for a Master’s Degree in School Leadership from Wilmington University. In May 2013, I hope to graduate and begin looking to fulfill my ultimate goal of becoming an elementary school principal.
Upon my graduation from the University of Delaware in May of 2003 with a BS in Elementary Education, I attained my first teaching position as a “thirty-day count hire” in a self-contained fifth grade classroom at Southern Elementary School in New Castle, DE. This was a unique situation due to the fact that my class roster was created from the selection of the other seven fifth grade classrooms in the school. Most of the students chosen to create my class had either learning or behavior issues. This posed a major challenge as a first year teacher. Upon surviving my initial year, I made it my goal to strengthen my classroom management and discipline skills.
The next three years of my career were spent in the city of Wilmington, DE at a charter school that specialized in the Performing Arts called Kuumba Academy. Utilizing the principles of Kwanzaa, this school was not your typical school. This new school was outfitted in an old bank building, with no playground, dance class as the physical education special, and a computer lab located in the bank’s vault. Kuumba Academy had small class sizes, with a strong family atmosphere, which gave meaning to the quote that it takes a village to raise a child. It was a perfect opportunity for a fresh start in a new school. During my tenure at Kuumba Academy I was able to improve upon my management and discipline skills and undertake various leadership positions. It was here that I became a mentor for new teachers, and even earned a position on the Kuumba Academy Board. From all of this my confidence in my abilities to teach and to handle even the toughest situations soared.
The next step on my journey landed me a position as a fourth grade teacher in the Haddon Township School District in Westmont, NJ. Van Sciver Elementary School is the largest of five elementary schools within the district, as well as being the most diverse socio-economically and ethnically. My teaching abilities continued to grow; yet I felt like a little fish in a big sea. After three years I was transferred to Edison Elementary, a much smaller school within the district. I was now the only fourth grade teacher in the building and was able to have more immediate opportunities for leadership positions. At Edison, I have become the Teacher-in-Charge, for when my principal is not in the building, it is my responsibility to handle student-discipline and other vital concerns. I also chair for the Science Fair, am advisor for the Safety Patrol, and the co-chair of the School Based Professional Development Committee, the HTEA building representative, and the school’s Anti-Bullying Specialist. Teachers also routinely consult me for technology troubleshooting as well.
It was at this juncture that my interest in school administration began to take form. The idea of helping other teachers improve their educational pedagogy and having a more direct influence on all students prompted me to begin my studies for a Master’s Degree in School Leadership from Wilmington University. In May 2013, I hope to graduate and begin looking to fulfill my ultimate goal of becoming an elementary school principal.