I teach for the “light bulb moment” – the moment when a student who has been struggling “gets it” and the pride they feel is unmistakable. The confidence they gain and their willingness to take on future challenges is my goal for them!
Who Am I?
My name is Bridget Henne (Hen-nee), and I’m a teacher, tutor, wife, mom, and learning coach. I earned my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in elementary education in 1996 and 1997, respectively, from the University of Florida, after finishing my associate’s degree from Community College of Philadelphia. While in college, I began mentoring and substitute teaching in a high school for at-risk students, and have been teaching and tutoring ever since. Over the years, I have taught public school, parochial school and homeschool students. Most recently, I have become a Registered Instructor for the Institute for Excellence in Writing, and have begun teaching IEW to upper elementary and middle school students. Some of the IEW classes are through my work with Meadow Hill Homeschool Organization, which I helped to establish several years ago.
Because of my sons’ different learning needs, I have experience with both traditional public school and cyber school. While my younger son thrived at our local school district’s brick and mortar high school, my older son needed something different. He completed his sophomore and junior years as a cyber school student, which allowed me to be his learning coach – an entirely new educator job! I’m pleased to say that meeting his educational needs in a different way led to him attending college as a dual enrollment student for his senior year. I’m so thankful for all these different learning options I’ve been able to explore, as I believe they make me a better teacher.
Educational Philosophy
- All students have strengths and talents. Feeling confident in one’s abilities to learn makes learning achievable, so it is an educator’s primary responsibility to recognize and build upon those strengths and talents in order to address and improve weaknesses.
- Each student learns differently – in his or her own time and own way.
- Students who are “seen” for who they are, what they love, and how they learn succeed more in their education.
- There are various ways to assess a student’s learning. Some students are able to show learning through standardized testing. Others are better at showing their learning by creating, explaining, or writing.