That Tastes Like Promotion!

This year, two of Gilman's upper school teachers received a well-deserved promotion. Mr. Matthews and Ms. Knapp are now Gilman's new Assistant Heads of the Upper School. Both teachers bring years of experience at Gilman to this position. As Assistant Heads of the Upper School, Mr. Matthews and Ms. Knapp will be working alongside the Head of the Upper School, Mr. Brian Ledyard.

"First and foremost, Brooks and Beth are experienced and accomplished teachers, coaches, and advisors. They have and will effectively support me in leading the Upper School because they're highly respected community members, because they're responsive, accessible, and forward thinking, and because they embrace and model the School's mission and core values,” Mr. Ledyard said.

When asked about why she applied for this position, Ms. Knapp reflected, “I have come to realize how much I enjoy working with novice teachers and combining theory with practice. When [this] opportunity…came up, I was eager to apply to expand that work into supporting all teachers in the Upper School. I have thought of myself as a teacher-leader, and this role is a way to make my desire to support and encourage teachers more concrete.”

Mr. Matthews was similarly motivated by supporting teachers. “I want to play a role in continuing the legacy of helping Gilman teachers become excellent in all facets of their professional lives so that Gilman students have the best experience possible,” he said.

Ms. Knapp and Mr. Matthews will be "supporting Mr. Ledyard and needs in the Upper School," said Ms. Knapp. To do so, they will assist upper school teachers, making sure teachers have everything they need and collaborating to solve issues when necessary. For example, Ms. Knapp is helping lead an AI literacy program. This program aims to help teachers understand the current state of AI in schools, learning what it can do and when it should be used.

Another way they will support teachers is "to help them with little things, [like] making sure their classroom has everything they need," commented Mr. Matthews. Additionally, Mr. Matthews and Ms. Knapp spent a lot of time in the summer ensuring that classrooms were ready for teachers and students before Opening Day. Moreover, Mr. Matthews remarked, “Ms. Knapp and I will also be working on professional development for the faculty, and we'll be working on hiring new teachers when that time comes.”

Their new job might be a lot of work, but Mr. Matthews and Ms. Knapp are up for the challenge, ready to balance all of their responsibilities. When asked about how the promotion will affect his other roles, Mr. Matthews said, "I have two sections of US History, and I have a section of a senior elective called Profile Zone Leadership, so I'm still teaching a bunch. I'm still coaching soccer, and I'm still working with GTV." Similarly, Ms. Knapp said, "I'm still teaching 9th and 12th grade English." She will continue to coach JV tennis and work with student groups like One Love, too. 

Mr. Matthews and Ms. Knapp are both excited about their new role. Ms. Knapp is most excited about being more involved with and helping other teachers, and Mr. Matthews is "looking forward to sitting in classrooms, watching teachers interact with students, and hopefully being able to provide some ideas for them to continue to think about and maybe use as they grow as teachers." 

Congratulations to Mr. Matthews and Ms. Knapp on their promotion!