Teacher of the Week: Barbara Gleason

Barbara Gleason

Personal Development Teacher, Barnstable High School

On Her Recent Accomplishments: In the last few years, I have received grants to help purchase updated fitness equipment to improve the weight rooms at BHS (from the Cape Cod Five Grant and Cobb Fund). 

Last year, I received a grant to help fund an after school program I teach called, "Pathways to Careers in Health," which helped certify students in First Aid and CPR, as well as prepare them with information on possible future career choices.

I also started the Box Tops for Education program at BHS (* would LOVE for the community to support this and drop off any Box Tops they have to the Main Office at BHS!).

This past summer, I received my Life Wellness Coach Certification through AAAI-ISMA, to add to my already existing certifications in Personal Training, Yoga, Pilates, Sports Nutrition, and Kids and Teen Fitness.

Finally, I recently published my third children's book called, "great esCAPEs".

Words She Works and Lives By: Every human being deserves to be treated with the same amount of respect.  Students deserve second chances to be able to learn from their mistakes. You need to be willing to always listen to the other side of the story.

On Being a Teacher: Being a teacher means endless hours spent researching, writing creative and engaging lesson plans, grading and being there to support your students on many different levels (whether going to watch them in a play, at an athletic event or staying after school to help them with an issue).  

There definitely isn't enough time in the day to accomplish as much as you want to and it seems as if each year gets more challenging, instead of easier.  However, teaching is certainly one of the most rewarding professions.  It can leave you mentally drained at the end of the day, but it's worth it knowing that you may have made a difference in the life of at least one child that day. 

Education doesn't just need to be given in the classroom by a teacher.  The entire community needs to be invested in helping educate our children...from the family members at home, neighbors or to the local businesses interacting with or employing our youth.  Never underestimate the power you have to teach a valuable lesson to these children and young adults.  They WANT to learn and you just might be the right person to be able to get the message across or give them the little extra support they need to become a healthy, kind and responsible adult.