There is a reason why many students have stated that their favorite teacher at Braintree High School is Mrs. LePore. There is a reason why cheers and laughter consistently emanate from room 319 every school day. It is clear that Mrs. LePore understands her high school students well, teaching and allowing her students to learn while also still being themselves.
Unfortunately, starting next year, students of BHS will not be provided this experience.
“I am so worried for the future of BHS. We need more teachers and smaller class sizes, not the opposite.” said Jamie LePore, an English teacher at BHS. “The students and families of BHS deserve a fully funded school with teachers who are supported, and I’m hopeful the town will figure out a way to make that happen.”
Mrs. LePore is one of the many hardworking teachers whose jobs are currently at risk due to the 8 million dollar deficit. Over her 19 years of working at BHS, she has bonded with many, and has become well-beloved by students and faculty alike.
“I started at BHS in 2005 after teaching for four years at a private school.” she says. “There were four new hires that year, so I bonded with my colleagues quickly over the stress and excitement of a new job.”
Mrs. LePore had many different influences throughout her life that led to her life of teaching. Her mother, who was a science teacher for 30 years, was one of her greatest influences, as well as her aunt, who was a 1st grade teacher for 35 years. With these trends in her family, it was no surprise to an outside viewer that she would end up in a career of teaching; however, to her, it was not as obvious.
“I majored in English and Writing in college and always thought I would be a lawyer, or work in publishing, but I really just wanted to read and talk about books. After graduation, I went to grad school to pursue my M.Ed and get my teaching certification. It was one of my best decisions yet. Most teachers major in Education in college and do their practicum or certification as part of the program. I had to get certified during my M.Ed program. I did learn that the classes were informative, but nothing taught me to teach until I was in a classroom.”
Unfortunately, despite lots of experience under her belt, Mrs. LePore is only one of many different teachers currently faced with the likely possibility of losing their jobs.
“It sucks, I like what I do, I like the community. The good thing for me is that I do have some seniority, so […] I will not lose a job completely, but my current job is gone.” said Mr. Britton, a US History teacher currently set to cease teaching at BHS next year.
“It’s affecting every single teacher in this building. It’s a horrible feeling to come to work and know that we can’t potentially work with our favorite people in the world, which are our students, so it’s difficult. All of us, even if we’re safe, even if we’ve been here for 20, 30 years, are looking for jobs elsewhere. We have to be safe, and we’re all looking right now, which means we’re losing a lot of our favorite teachers, a lot of our talented educators…. So, it’s difficult all-around.” said Dr. S, BHS’ current orchestra teacher.
The 8 million dollar deficit is something that has created great turmoil within the town of Braintree, and because of it, many of our well-beloved and experienced teachers at BHS, as well as other residents of Braintree, may soon be out of a job. While supporting these teachers is extremely important, understanding who these people are and where they are coming from is equally as important during these times.
