“I want to see kids and teachers and I want to be involved in the activities and the learning that’s going on in the building.”
“That’s where I get my energy,” she said. “So once I learn something, I really think deeply about how that informs my own practice and how I can make a larger impact.”Īlthough she’s only six days into the job, she plans to spend her first few weeks in the schools developing relationships with administrators, teachers, students and families. “Once you’re a teacher, you’re always a teacher, and that’s how I try to lead - as if I was still in the classroom as a reflective practitioner,” she said. “We recognize her extensive record of leadership in education and are excited about the path of our district going forward.”īrown said although she’s out of the classroom, she’s always a teacher first, and utilizes the same leadership style that helped her succeed in that realm. Brown to the Smyrna School District,” said board member Dr. What Brown brings to SmyrnaĪt Hartford, Brown taught for years, becoming a teacher leader, a department chair, summer school director, and since 2013, executive director for curriculum, instruction and assessment. She then went to Towson University for her bachelor’s, Loyola University Maryland for her master’s, and finally Wilmington University for her doctorate degree. Now, she has four degrees.įirst, she attended Hartford Community College where she earned her associate’s degree. She knew she wanted to teach, so she pursued an education degree in college. “I had a great support system in my own family to help me get to this point and help me understand the power of education,” she said. Smyrna has just under 6,000 students enrolled across its eight schools.īrown’s appreciation for public education comes from her parents, who she said were always advocating for their children and putting them in the best position to succeed academically. She said even though Hartford County has about 40,000 students, that’s an “average-sized” Maryland school district. “So when I think of Smyrna, I think of that area and how close knit that school was.” “I went to a high school that was rather small, but it was very much a community school,” she said.
Certain doctoral degree programs may have program-specific work experience requirements.