Dr. Carole Berotte Joseph, President of Massachusetts Bay Community College and current President of the NACCTEP, has selected MassBay sophomore Rachel Bradley to serve as this year’s NACCTEP Student Board Member.

Rachel Bradley’s favorite work of children’s literature is The Little engine That Could. The same “I think I can” spirit inherent in this classic book can be seen in the aspiring child educator’s career at MassBay. In addition to carrying an ambitious course load, Bradley has served as co-president of the MassBay Education Club for two years and been an active participant in such early education-oriented events as this year’s conference of the National Association for the Education of Young Children in Washington D.C.

Among Bradley’s goals during her year as a NACCTEP student board member: developing a survey that will examine teacher education programs in NACCTEP schools around the nation and participating in two important board meetings. The first will occur in the fall in Washington, D.C. and the second prior to the national, multi-day annual conference in Baltimore, Maryland.  Bradley’s position will also allow her to attend the meetings of the MassBay Board of Trustees, where she will have an insider’s view of the operations of the school and its policy-making body. Bradley is also hoping that her year as a NACCTEP board member will help develop her public speaking skills.

As is the case with so many students at MassBay, Bradley’s community college experience has inspired her to continue her education after she graduates. She plans to earn a BA in childhood education from Wheelock College, and envisions herself five years from now pursuing a master’s degree while “working with children in a job that I love.”
For those interested in a career in her field, Rachel Bradley has the following advice:  “First and foremost, you need to be respectful of children, and really enjoy being with them -- not just watching over them.”  That’s the credo she will be spreading in her year as the NACCTEP Student Board Member.

“Be the change you wish to see in the world.” 

These simple yet eloquent words spoken by Mahatma Gandhi have inspired me to dream of a world where children are excited to learn and school is a wonderful place to be . . . a world where parents and teachers work together to help children succeed . . . and a world where each and every child believes that he or she is valued and respected and that anything they dream is possible if they work hard . . . this is why I want to be a teacher.
I want to be a teacher because I believe with all of my heart that I can make a difference in the lives of the children I teach . . . I believe that I have the patience, wonder, and creativity to help them discover talents and gifts they never realized they had . . . and my sincerest hope is to help them explore the world around them and to offer wonderful, exciting opportunities they may not have had otherwise. I also believe that I have the experiences and maturity to help parents become more involved in their children’s education and to  help them realize what a vital and important role they play in their children’s academic success.

During a conversation with my teenage daughter about her college plans, I realized that I was expecting her to do something that I had not done: go to college. [After that conversation] I investigated the profession of teaching and discovered the great variety of paths to follow. It seems that becoming an educator was a natural path for me to choose. I am passionate about learning new things, and teaching offers boundless opportunities to do so. I look forward to learning about, and from, the students that will be in my classroom. Since I plan on teaching Language Arts, I will be able to explore its many facets and present these gems to the students. I will also continue to learn about how to improve my professional skills. I firmly believe that an educator should be first and foremost an enthusiastic learner.
Beyond my own opportunities of learning, I look forward to helping guide students from confusion to achieving their own accomplishments. I understand that a lesson cannot be said to have been taught until the student is able to apply it to their own lives. Through what I have learned and will learn, I will be able to provide my students with strategies and confidence to try new things, expand their horizons, and push past their comfort zones. I am excited that I will get the opportunity to know and influence tomorrow’s decision makers.

NACCTEP would like to thank the Scholarship Committee for their time and support!