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2008: Public Elementary School Teacher of the Year

Independence for Developing Minds
Broderick's approach: self direction with communal support

 

After a demanding week, Kristin Broderick likes to let her 1st grade students relax on Friday afternoons—which means putting on music and letting them dance in the classroom.

“They’ve had a week of hard work and they met the challenges,” Broderick said

As young as her students are, Broderick knows that a little independence goes a long way for developing minds. And there is a chance that the decisions made are not always the best.

“That’s when the tear comes down the cheek,” she said.

But when they graduate from her 1st grade classroom having experienced both minor setbacks and major successes, they will have developed immensely.

“They leave as independent thinkers with confidence,” she said.

The 38-year-old teacher was once the young newcomer, entering Lower Lab School P.S. 77 more than 10 years ago. Broderick said she was the only new teacher alongside seasoned educators, and parents did not warm up to her immediately. Like her students, she needed time to develop and make some mistakes.
“Many days ended with tears my first years teaching,” she said.

Broderick said she developed an early interest in teaching from her family, notably her Hunter College- and Columbia-educated grandmother who regaled Broderick with tales of teaching in early-1930s Manhattan.
“She was this woman way before her time,” Broderick said.

When Broderick graduated from Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass., she was torn between pediatric medicine and teaching. After volunteering at city schools, she chose teaching and enrolled at Fordham University in the Bronx. She did some of her student-teaching at the then-new Lower Lab School. Now in her seventh year of teaching 1st grade, Broderick said she stayed at the school because of its progressive philosophy on communal education.

“I think it takes a village. It’s not me on my own,” she said. “In this school, we are all learners together.”
Even Broderick is open to learning new things, like the day she brought in an architect to discuss how buildings are constructed.

“My attitude is, as soon as you think you know everything, it’s time to retire,” she said.

Having children build relationships with one another is also an integral part of a well-rounded education, she believes. So at the beginning of each school year, students interview one another. And every day, Broderick holds a morning meeting to discuss any important news the students may have, whether a child wants to talk about a test or their brother’s basketball game.

“The kids become invested in each other,” Broderick said. “And they know their teachers are invested in their lives.”

— Dan Rivoli