MEGAN BRET
Brooklyn Dean, Brooke Lynn Ramsey
Megan Bret knew from an early age that she wanted to become a teacher. Her family had a long history of teaching, and Bret knew she wanted to continue that legacy ever since her first job at a children’s summer camp.
“It was very challenging, but I came home each day so happy and fulfilled because I loved getting the chance to build relationships with kids,” Bret said.
Bret is now one of the new Middle School faculty members and is teaching fifth-grade science, the culmination of a journey that began in elementary school.
Back in sixth grade, Bret had an English teacher named Mrs. Butler, who went on to further make Bret want to become a teacher. Bret said Butler was one of the kindest people she had ever met and made learning feel fun and engaging while making sure every student also felt loved.
Throughout her early education, Bret says she loved school and found herself very curious and interested in the learning material because of her good teachers. She was also a child who cared greatly about succeeding in school and following the rules.
Outside of school, Bret was involved in many different activities including tennis, musical theater, choir, honor society and leadership society among other things. Today Bret is an avid pickleball player and credits her success to her involvement in tennis when she was younger.
After graduating from Bishop Lynch High School in Dallas, Bret furthered her education at the University of Oklahoma, where she received her bachelor’s degree in elementary education. Part of Bret’s time in Oklahoma was during the COVID-19 pandemic, which required her to temporarily switch to online classes.
During her time at the University of Oklahoma, Bret was student-teaching in Norman, where the university is located. She met a student who loved school but had difficulty attending classes every morning because of complications. Seeing a student who loved learning so much was very impactful for Bret as a young teacher.
Following Bret’s graduation, she worked a part-time substitute teaching position at St. John’s Episcopal School. After about a year, she returned to college to receive her master’s degree at Harvard University. During her time at Harvard, Bret led an invention education program with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology at Cambridge Friends School.
Bret graduated from Harvard in 2022.
“College helped me to think about teaching in new ways that weren’t always taught when I was younger,” Bret said.
Now, that interest in education has led Bret to Greenhill. She is one of the new Middle School faculty members and is teaching fifth-grade science.
“I love the people here,” Bret said. “Both the students and faculty were welcoming and kind. I was shocked while teaching my demo lesson about the types of questions students answered. Everyone seemed to love learning.”
Bret also mentioned that Greenhill’s great hospitality, strong community, location, tremendous care for each student and the way they honor every student’s individuality made the job very compelling.
Once employed, Bret knew she had to switch her mindset from a student to a teacher after recently graduating from university.
“At Harvard, I was thinking about big-picture education questions and now I’m thinking about day-to-day questions,” Bret said.
Greenhill’s fifth-grade science curriculum has proved to be enjoyable for Bret, as she likes that they get to do numerous different types of science, which pushes her as a teacher.
Susan Eve, the MS Science Department Chair, says that during the application process, Bret’s intelligence and her ability to implement previous knowledge in the classroom made her stand out from other applicants.
Eve says that Bret’s resume, letters of recommendation, personality and experience in the Dallas area made her a very strong candidate for the job.
“She is amazing and is doing a great job,” Eve said. “First, she came in immediately connected with students and has found a place on both the teaching and advising team. While she is listening and taking things in, she has also been able to jump right in.”
Raina Taneja, one of Bret’s new students, says that Bret has done a good job balancing fun and learning by allowing them brain breaks. Taneja enjoys the warm-up Bret always does before class and the whirligig project.
One of Bret’s advisees, Hannah Beckham, appreciates that Bret is always there for her students, even if it’s not about school. She believes her advisor has also done a good job of creating connections between advisees.
“We’ve played games where we work together, which have brought us closer as an advisory,” Beckham said.
Bret is a well-loved teacher by her students and co-educators alike. She has finally achieved her goal of becoming an educator and enjoys that every day is different.
“Teaching is something I love,” Bret said.
BELLA MENDOZA
Jordan Arbuckle
This year, the Carter Associate Teacher Program added a new aspiring third-grade teacher, Bella Mendoza, to its roster.
In college, Mendoza wasn’t an education major, however, she became involved in the schools around the local area. There she realized she loved working around kids and their energy.
“I found out that I really loved being around students and using the creativity that needs to be used while teaching,” Mendoza said.
While Medoza loved working with students, she was unsure whether or not she would want to take up teaching as a full-time job. So, when she moved back to Texas to be around family, she heard about the Carter Associate Teacher Program at Greenhill and wanted to give it a try.
The Carter Associate Teacher Program in third grade allows Mendoza to teach kids in the learning lab without having to commit fully to a homeroom. Some activities that take place in the learning lab setting include grammar, math, book recommendations, and even the building of Lego robots.
“It’s a great stepping stone, it allows me to learn how to teach with less pressure,” Mendoza said.
In order to guide Mendoza along the journey of becoming the best teacher possible, she is given a mentor to turn to for help or questions. Mentors give advice and education to the associates, allowing them to make themselves better for the future.
Mendoza’s mentor is Karen Dzialowski, who has been mentoring at Greenhill for at least 20 years.
“I always encourage associates to ask questions, then to develop positive relationships with each student,” Dzialowski said.
Through the Carter Associate Program, Mendoza has been able to improve her teaching abilities for the future, wherever that might take her.
“The program has allowed me to develop as a teacher and grow my confidence for the future to come,” Mendoza said.
PATTY MORALES
Rehan Menon
New Middle School Spanish teacher Patty Morales has joined Greenhill this year. It has only been a few months, but she loves the Greenhill community.
Morales grew up in Mexico and went to college at the University of Texas at Arlington. She started college off with engineering.
“I didn’t feel it for engineering and didn’t know if this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life,” Morales said.
She then decided she wanted to teach Spanish because of how much she loved the culture and the language.
Morales heard about Greenhill from former science teacher Emma Devine. She heard how amazing it was and wanted to see what Greenhill was all about.
Seventh-grader Landry Cason said Mrs. Morales is very organized and focused on making all of her students succeed.
“She encourages us to work hard and stay on task,” Cason said.
Morales supports students throughout their learning journey. She is a focused teacher, and she wants her students to do well at Greenhill.
“She constantly assures her students that she is there for them, and she acts as a pillar while we navigate through this middle school journey,” seventh-grader Mahi Varma, who has Morales as an advisor.
Morales’s favorite part about teaching is getting to connect with so many different students and she gets to have an important role and make a difference in their lives. She likes it when her students have “a-ha” moments or when something sparks, and she thinks it is priceless.
So far Morales has loved teaching at a private school. The main difference she has seen between private and public schools are the expectation, and the behavior of students is very different.
CARTER ASSOCIATE TEACHERS: Working Hard to Advance Knowledge
Vanessa Anderson
Greenhill’s Carter Associate Teacher Program has gone through many changes since its creation in 1991.
It was made to be a project to bring young teachers onto the faculty of Greenhill’s Lower School. Staffing with necessary co-curricular programs, the program had gone through many name changes, from interns to fellows, and now associate teachers. The Carter Associate Teacher Program has earned a reputation throughout the United States as a robust, top-notch training ground for young teachers.
“For pre-k and kindergarten, associate teachers are placed in a classroom for the whole year,” said Kay Johnson, who is currently working with Greenhill Kindergarten students as a Carter Associate Teacher. For first through fourth they serve the entire grade level and support in a variety of ways across classrooms. We’re all like co-teachers, and there’s also the added layer of the professional development classes, workshops, and observations led by [Associate Head of School for Mission, Community, and Culture] Tom Perryman [’81].”
Perryman meets regularly with the Carter Associate Teachers to “see how things are going,” said Johnson.
Hannah Piper, a former Greenhill student, turned Carters Associate, is now working with kindergarten students as a Carter Associate Teacher.
“I think just because I went here for Upper School, I really didn’t have the chance to interact with lower schools, it’s just really interesting getting to inhabit a different place on the campus,” said Piper. “Things like [Heart of the Hill] are really cool and getting to see how it’s all wrapped up.”
Piper has enjoyed watching the rapid progress of her Kindergarten students.
“I think seeing some kids going from not being able to count to ten and now being able to count to much higher numbers,” Piper said.
Maddison Darnell is also a member of the current Carter Associate Teachers class, working with Pre-Kindergarten children.
WILL REYNOLDS
Allan Dixon, Kyle Goodman
Will Reynolds, a fifth-grade history teacher, brings a love for video games, a passion for Dungeon and Dragons, and an unwavering commitment to education in his first year at Greenhill.
His arrival has sparked excitement among students and staff.
Reynolds has a long teaching pedigree. He has worked in four schools in his career, including Lawrence Woodmere and Gainesville Middle School.
He says he developed his deep love for history from an early age, thanks to his father who was a “huge history nerd,” as Reynolds said.
Growing up, his father’s passion heavily influenced him, but it wasn’t until he encountered inspiring teachers of his own that he realized his calling was education.
For Reynolds, teaching is a way to honor the teachers who changed his life.
Witnessing his passion and commitment, Paige Ashley, a fellow faculty member at Greenhill, described Reynolds as “very passionate about his job.”
Reynolds says he loves the chance to collaborate, after coming from a school where he was the only history teacher.
Away from campus, he has lots of passion for things not history-related. Reynolds plays Dungeons and Dragons in his free time and loves to play video games. He also has a huge interest in running and disc golf.
ERIC SCHOONARD
Avery McGraw, Ronak Ramnani
Middle School math teacher Eric Schoonard moved to Dallas in August and decided to apply for a job at Greenhill.
Schoonard was drawn by Greenhill’s sense of mission.“It’s like trying to make the world a more hopeful place, and I think that was, that’s unique,” Schoonard said.
Before coming to Dallas, Schoonard taught in different places as a middle and high school teacher. He started in Atlanta, which was similar to Greenhill, and then taught at a school in South Korea that followed the American curriculum which also was similar to Greenhill.
Later, he taught in Vietnam at an international school with students from all over the world.
Schoonard also enjoys cooking. It didn’t start this way, but now he cooks often. He takes it as a research project as he mainly cooks Korean food, but has been trying Indian, Mexican, and Chinese recipes, and recently has been messing around with Korean fused with Southern food. His favorite dish is grits and bulgogi.
Schoonard says he never planned on being a teacher, but when he found his skill for teaching math through tutoring kids in his boarding school, he realized that was his path.
All of Schoonard’s travels have made him a better teacher. He’s been to all 50 states and 24 different countries. This has given him a broader perspective on teaching. He believes in finding a balance between practice and understanding, and he adapts his teaching style to what works best for his students.
Math Department Chair Miriam Lang described Schoonard’s teaching style as student-centered, sprinkled with a bit of humor. She said that within just a few moments of being in the class, she noted that Schoonard could identify what the students’ needs were and how to help them in the best way possible.
“I love that he has the perspective over where the kids need to go,” Lang said.
She says that having experience teaching in high school helps add a long-term perspective of the student’s future in math rather than just focusing on right now.
Sixth-grader Karthik Zeikus says that Schoonard is a great teacher who brings a lot of energy to the class.
“He’s a fun and helpful nice teacher, and he makes sure that everybody understands the problems before the quiz,” said Zeikus.
As a new teacher at Greenhill, Schoonard is still learning the ropes.
“For me, it’s just learning Greenhill, and learning what Greenhill is all about,” Schoonard said.
BLAKELY BLOOMFIELD
Allan Dixon
Blakely Bloomfield is a new first-grade teacher at Greenhill this year.
Head of Lower School Michael Simpson described Bloomfield as a flexible teacher who can adjust to any kind of student.
Bloomfield is a Dallas native. Her passions outside of teaching include kayaking in White Rock Lake and just being outside.
Her introduction to teaching came through family members who are teachers. This nurtured her love for education and inspired her to become a teacher as well.
Once she graduated from college in 2016, she planned to teach Middle school science. However, she took a job teaching kindergarten and fell in love with teaching younger students. She eventually moved up to teaching first grade.
Before coming to Greenhill, Bloomfield taught at schools in Florida and California. Now, she says she’s “happy to be a part of the Greenhill community.”
