The Upper School added ten new faculty members this year, from math to art teachers! Ms. Bhalla joined the computer science department, and there are two new math teachers - Ms. Bradley and Ms. Williams. New teachers in the arts include Ms. Connors teaching art electives and Ms. DiMilla teaching dance. Other new teachers include Dr. Johnson (History), Ms. Khanchandani (Science), Ms. Klein (College Counseling), Ms. Lotz (Resource Center), and Ms. McCaroll (Yoga). We interviewed Ms. Connors and Ms. Bradley to get a sense of how they are liking Bryn Mawr so far. If you want to hear about Ms. Bradley’s hidden juggling skills or Ms. Connor’s dream vacation spot, keep reading!
** Responses have been edited for length and clarity.
MS. CONNORS
Q: What's your favorite and least favorite thing about Bryn Mawr so far?
A: My favorite thing so far is the free lunch; as somebody who is always rushing to get things done, I hardly ever have time to pack a lunch. Last year I was eating Cheetos out of the vending machine for lunch so it's nice to have free lunch here. I think another big favorite thing of mine is the trust that the teachers have for each other and that the administrators have for the teachers. I want to say the parking is my least favorite thing, and it's made me consider what I'm wearing, like my footwear so that's probably the biggest struggle, but for the most part there's not a lot that I don’t love about Bryn Mawr.
Q: As someone who came to Bryn Mawr with fresh eyes, what is one thing that Bryn Mawr could change?
A: I think students should have more flexibility with when they can take art classes, because I've had a lot of students come to me and say ‘oh I wanted to take this class but I had to take such and such I don't know the course requirement’. I don't want to sound ignorant, because I have no idea, but I wish that there was more flexibility in letting students take the art classes that they want to take, because I want to meet as many students as possible.
Q: What is one of your hidden talents?
A: I do really funny voice impressions, like cartoon characters. I love comedy and love making people laugh, and I would like to think that I’m a funny person. Another talent that I have that people don't know about is that I really like shuffling, like dancing, and whenever we have our first actual dance together I will be shuffling, and it's gonna be kind of cringey but it's also gonna be really cool.
Q: What is your dream vacation?
A: My dream vacation would probably be to go to the Baltic Sea area, like a total Viking kind of cruise. I just love the history around that whole area.
MS. BRADLEY
Q: What differences have you noticed between teaching boys and girls?
A: Less so than that, it's less the teaching of girls versus teaching boys but the cultures of the two schools feel somewhat different to me, so the actual classroom time is somewhat similar between the two schools, but the types of traditions that occur between the two schools are quite different.
Q: What's your favorite and least favorite thing about Bryn Mawr so far?
A: My favorite thing has definitely been the students, I am also coaching field hockey, so it has been really fun to get to know students that way. At my previous school, I was a fellow, which means that I was getting my masters and teaching at the same time, so this is my first time teaching four sections, meaning I just get to see so many students that I know everyday which has been my favorite part for sure. Well I'm not sure if this qualifies as my least favorite part, because it hasn’t happened yet, but I am chaperoning the fall fling on Friday, which I feel a little trepidation about, but not sure what to expect.
Q: As someone coming to Bryn Mawr with fresh eyes, what is one thing Bryn Mawr could change?
A: Well I feel like it's a really great school, and that people are working really hard on what I’m about to say anyways, so I’m not the first person to say it, but that students should know its okay to make mistakes and things don't have to be perfect, and excellence doesn't necessarily mean that you are always getting the right answer all the time or always pushing yourself to the absolute hardest. I feel like I also went to a really intense high school, so I totally know the vibe of having to go home and so much work every night and feeling like everything matters so much, so I feel like all independent schools, but particularly those that are really, really academically rigorous, such as Bryn Mawr, could use a little bit of deep breaths, it's all going to be okay”
Q: What is one of your hidden talents?
A: I can juggle!
Q: What is your dream vacation?
A: My dream vacation is that I’m in New Hampshire, or the woods, it doesn’t have to be New Hampshire, but I’m just in a cabin with my close friends and family and no one is reaching out to me for months, no internet, just fully living in nature without any distractions, mmh sounds so good.”