校友

校友 on Campus Q&A: 3rd Grade Teacher Jenny Rieg Gellert ’99

告诉我们你在希普利大学读书时的经历——最突出的是什么?
经历和活动拓宽了我对参与社区的多种方式的理解和欣赏. In particular, in Middle School, 我觉得自己受到了鼓励,能够尝试各种各样的运动, be a cast member in a musical, play an instrument, sing in choir, experiment with art, and participate in student government. 我觉得自己很全面,在你的社区中活跃是有价值和有趣的! 我想这就是为什么我过去和现在都觉得,和希普利如此亲近的原因.

同样,通过实地考察、集会和演讲者的接触也确实产生了影响. 我清楚地记得,学校设立了一项拨款,允许每个七年级的学生以班级的形式去D的大屠杀博物馆.C. 身临其境的博物馆体验,加上希普利对让学生了解这段重要历史的承诺和优先考虑,真的让我印象深刻. It felt ahead of its time.

Communication, communication, communication! Be it through participating in class discussions, honing my writing craft, 或者通过大型的公开演讲活动——我觉得学习如何让别人理解我的观点,并且每年都在有机地、真实地发展自己的演讲能力.

为什么 did you pursue a career in teaching? 为什么 Lower School?
我想要一份积极、直接地帮助世界变得更美好的职业. 我总是与各个年龄段的孩子建立牢固的关系, so teaching became the obvious choice. I genuinely enjoy working with kids of all ages, 然而, 我喜欢你在低年级教学时所擅长的内容的多样性. 年轻人和他们的同理心让我很开心,也给我留下了深刻的印象. 我乐观地希望我以前的学生也想走出去,在世界上做出积极的改变.

为什么 did you choose to come back to 皮普?
After working in three different independent schools, and two within the area, 我有机会真正了解到每所学校都有独特的文化,这是由它的价值观塑造的. It can be hard to find a school that shares your priorities. 在2020年春天“黑人的命也重要”运动重新点燃之后, 我知道我需要进入一所真正致力于DEI倡议的学校. From following 皮普 as an alum, I knew that 皮普 was already taking measures, 特别是在他们包容LBGQT+学生的方法上. 我相信, and still believe, 我们正在做的工作对让世界变得更美好至关重要.

How did your 皮普 experience shape you as a teacher?
I had incredible role models in my teachers at 皮普. 他们真的理解我,似乎很喜欢我,希望我过得最好. 我知道这对我在希普利大学和我一生的幸福和成功有多重要. 我试图让每一个学生——我想希普利社区的每一个成员——都有同样的感觉, 每一天.

当你回来当老师时,希普利有什么让你惊讶的地方吗?
我惊喜地发现,我希望希普利拥有的文化和社区是, 事实上, 仍然存在,并继续在学院决策的最前沿.

You are sending your daughter to 皮普 in the fall. 为什么?
我很高兴她能体验到这些了不起的教育工作者, the warm and child-centered environment, 以及我们低年级学生每天都被包围的快乐.

In what ways has 皮普 changed since you were a student? What has NOT changed?
与老师和教练们一起工作并重新建立联系真是太棒了,当我还是一名学生时,他们对我来说非常重要. Getting to work everyday with two of my former coaches, Erika Baker and Katie Whelan, has been so rewarding. Steve Baris was an incredibly important teacher for me. 我很高兴能够在他退休的时候回到社区,听到他关于他作为一名教师的价值观的睿智的话语.

我认为希普利的意图和行为一直都是纯洁的, 但, like all of us, it is restricted by its privileges and knowledge. 看到教职员工和管理人员了解并实施改变,以支持每个孩子的幸福和成功,这真的是一件令人兴奋的事情. We are living the mission and doing the hard work!
回来
The 皮普 School is a private, 从幼儿园到12年级的男女同校走读学校, located in Bryn Mawr, PA. Through our commitment to educational excellence, 我们培养每个学生对学习的热爱和对富有同情心地参与世界的渴望.