TEACHER OF INTEREST
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Trends In Education
a show at the theater in downtown Stuart. It was A Conversation
with Kat Imhoff, who is the president and curator of Montpelier,
President James Madison’s estate. The show discusses
the American Revolutionary War and the writing of the U.S.
Constitution.
“I had a talk with the students about how to dress to go
to the theater and how to act at the theater,” Bradley said.
“I was amazed when 45 students showed up. Some of the
young men were wearing three-piece suits, but all were in
shirts and ties. The girls wore heels and nice dresses. In fact,
one of the women in attendance asked me if my students
could talk to her husband about how to dress for the theater,”
he added, with a chuckle.
Those students who attended were each given a book and a
laminated envelope containing a Madison stamp and a photo
of a painting depicting the signing of the Constitution in 1787.
A subject leader (U.S. history) at Central, Bradley is also the
school’s only AP history teacher. He is also a teacher-leader,
explaining that there is at least one in each school. Teacherleaders,
he said, help teachers who need any type of assistance.
This group meets at the school board office occasionally
in order to further its skills.
And to think that all of this came about because of a change
of careers from the corporate world to education. A fortuitous
meeting with his high school athletic director, Jay Stewart,
while he was substitute teaching at Central led him to an
interview with the principal, Terry Smith, and within months,
Bradley said, he was in the classroom teaching.
“The beauty of teaching,” Bradley said, “is you have to
adjust. It’s like that Mike Tyson quote: ‘Everyone has a plan
‘till they get punched in the mouth.’ ”
Central’s Teacher of the Year observes as students argue a point during a
debate tournament in his classroom.
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