Published by CounciLINK on October 29, 2018
Susan Bryan knows mentors matter since she found her own vocation in life while watching her mom teach kids.
The inspiration she drew from this early mentor has driven her to gain extensive education and experience working with kids. She has a master’s degree in education and has proved herself to be a masterful teacher at Olaf High School in McDonough, GA, where she’s worked in the early childhood education program for the past 11 years.
Besides teaching a number of classes, she supervises the program, which has a roster of about 200 students, plus a list of more waiting to get in. And in addition, she runs an in-house preschool for 20 community kids, which gives her high school students a chance to gain the hands-on experience they need.
Her own hands are certainly full because she does even more to improve the education of the young. Besides being a Professional Development Specialist (PDS), she recently has become a Better Brains for Babies educator so she can pass on knowledge of positive brain connections and how to rewire them for future success.
And there’s no doubt she’s wired to succeed in her own field.
“I am passionate about learning,” she said, “and I am passionate about the early experiences of children” — so much so that she plans to pursue a doctorate in early childhood education.
But as she moves ahead, she keeps in mind the lesson she learned as a child. So she runs an after-school program for elementary school kids; her high school students tutor and mentor there every day.
This year, she successfully launched a male mentorship and tutoring program that pairs male high school students with male elementary students who lack positive role models in their lives.
And she also gives her own time to current and former students who come to her for guidance on career development and work readiness skills.
As she does what is best for her program and her students, she shows just how much having the right mentor matters for success.
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Andrew has over 20 years of experience in the early care and education field. Most recently, Andrew served as Senior Vice President of Partnership and Engagement with Acelero Learning and Shine Early Learning, where he led the expansion of state and community-based partnerships to produce more equitable systems of service delivery, improved programmatic quality, and greater outcomes for communities, children and families. Prior to that, he served as Director of Early Learning at Follett School Solutions.
Andrew earned his MBA from the University of Baltimore and Towson University and his bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland – University College.
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Jan holds a CPA from the State of Virginia and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Lycoming College. She resides in Alexandria VA with her husband and dog.
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