Crowder welcomes new English teacher
Kayla Branstetter
June 2, 2021
Ezra DeVore
Crowder Quill-published-writer, Kayla Branstetter, has accepted a position at Crowder College as their promising new English teacher. With a decade of teaching English at Purdy High School behind her, as well as a number of published personal works, she expressed excitement for the position.
“This is a dream job for me,” Branstetter said. “My mom was a teen mom and a high school drop-out. She graduated from Crowder with her Associate’s and moved on to get her Bachelor’s, so I know the potential this school has.”
Aware that a few of her students will also be parents working full-time jobs, she said that regardless of how old we are, we still need that one person in our corner who’s going to support us.
“It’s my responsibility to offer that support,” she said.
Raised in both Barry County and Denver, Colorado, where she earned a Masters of Arts in Liberal Studies, she understands both the importance of Barry County, the culture outside of it, and how they flow as one.
As an adviser to the National English Society at Purdy, she chaperoned two trips to New York City, where she took her students to Broadway shows. With the support of the Purdy community, she derived great pleasure in being able to expose students to culture outside of Barry County. Teaching students the cultural context in which literature was written, she says, is a vital part of her teaching style and enables students to have a comprehensive look at the piece.
Branstetter often taught first-generation Americans in high school and conveyed enthusiasm for continuing the practice at Crowder.
“I’ve had students whose work has been published in magazines and newspapers,” she said. “Witnessing that growth in my students is a wonderful feeling.”
When offered the job at Crowder, Branstetter felt elation tinged with grief. Clearing out her desk at Purdy for the final time, she unearthed old gifts from students. With artifacts of the previous decade in hand, she sailed a memory’s sea, eager to greet adventures for future memories.
Her term at Purdy ended May 21. In August, she’ll begin her new Crowder career.
Ezra DeVore
Crowder Quill-published-writer, Kayla Branstetter, has accepted a position at Crowder College as their promising new English teacher. With a decade of teaching English at Purdy High School behind her, as well as a number of published personal works, she expressed excitement for the position.
“This is a dream job for me,” Branstetter said. “My mom was a teen mom and a high school drop-out. She graduated from Crowder with her Associate’s and moved on to get her Bachelor’s, so I know the potential this school has.”
Aware that a few of her students will also be parents working full-time jobs, she said that regardless of how old we are, we still need that one person in our corner who’s going to support us.
“It’s my responsibility to offer that support,” she said.
Raised in both Barry County and Denver, Colorado, where she earned a Masters of Arts in Liberal Studies, she understands both the importance of Barry County, the culture outside of it, and how they flow as one.
As an adviser to the National English Society at Purdy, she chaperoned two trips to New York City, where she took her students to Broadway shows. With the support of the Purdy community, she derived great pleasure in being able to expose students to culture outside of Barry County. Teaching students the cultural context in which literature was written, she says, is a vital part of her teaching style and enables students to have a comprehensive look at the piece.
Branstetter often taught first-generation Americans in high school and conveyed enthusiasm for continuing the practice at Crowder.
“I’ve had students whose work has been published in magazines and newspapers,” she said. “Witnessing that growth in my students is a wonderful feeling.”
When offered the job at Crowder, Branstetter felt elation tinged with grief. Clearing out her desk at Purdy for the final time, she unearthed old gifts from students. With artifacts of the previous decade in hand, she sailed a memory’s sea, eager to greet adventures for future memories.
Her term at Purdy ended May 21. In August, she’ll begin her new Crowder career.