Palmer Trinity School

B R I T T N E Y H O F F M A N M C C A B E ' 9 9 WHAT DO YOU TEACH/DO AT PTS? I am the Associate Director of College Counseling. WHAT ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL'S CULTURE OR VALUES DO YOU FIND MOST ENDURING OR MEANINGFUL, BOTH AS A STUDENT AND NOW AS A FACULTY/STAFF MEMBER? I find the student/faculty dynamic incredibly meaningful. When I was a student, I was so inspired and engaged by my teachers. They were so knowledgeable and passionate about their subjects, which made each day an opportunity to learn something new. But I also felt like my teachers were fantastic listeners, and were open to learning from us as well. That free exchange of ideas, and sense of mutual respect, will always stay with me as pillars of a PTS classroom. Now, as a staff member, not only do I get to witness our faculty continue this legacy, I get to cultivate interesting and meaningful relationships with my students in my role as a college counselor. WHY DID YOU COME BACK TO PTS TO WORK? I'll never forget the phone call I received from Coach AJ West inviting me to return to PTS to teach. It was both surreal and incredibly fun to return to campus as a teacher. Most of my students were taller than me and I had to constantly remind myself that the Senior Chickee was no longer a place where I could hang out. I also had to force myself to refer to my previous teachers by their first names (Mr. Chapman, however, will always be Mr. Chapman to me). While I was only back a year before I left for graduate school, I always knew I wanted to return to campus to grow as an educator and professional in an environment that truly felt like home. HOW DO YOU BALANCE YOUR ROLES AS AN ALUM AND A MEMBER OF THE FACULTY/ STAFF? DO YOU FIND ANY CHALLENGES OR ADVANTAGES IN THIS DUAL ROLE? I served on the Alumni Board for many years, connecting with alumni and brainstorming strategies for expanding our network. Now, I enjoy attending all of the alumni social events, meeting up with recent PTS alumni when they visit campus, and reading the monthly Alumni E-Newsletter. FINALLY, IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU'D LIKE TO SHARE ABOUT YOUR UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE AS BOTH AN ALUM AND A CURRENT MEMBER OF THE PTS COMMUNITY? Next year, I get to add "Falcon Parent" to my list of connections to Palmer Trinity School. I am incredibly excited for Jackson to experience our PTS family for himself. WHY DID YOU COME BACK TO PTS TO WORK? The first reason was to come back and make a difference in a school that is growing and developing. The second reason is that I wanted my son to attend PTS so he can have meaningful experiences and academic rigor this school fosters. HOW DO YOU BALANCE YOUR ROLES AS AN ALUM AND A MEMBER OF THE FACULTY/STAFF? DO YOU FIND ANY CHALLENGES OR ADVANTAGES IN THIS DUAL ROLE? I have found a lot of advantages because I understand the PTS culture and the ways in which our close-net community functions. Being both alumna and faculty has broadened my perspective to teach and serve others. FINALLY, IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU'D LIKE TO SHARE ABOUT YOUR UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE AS BOTH AN ALUM AND A CURRENT MEMBER OF THE PTS COMMUNITY? I take pride in being the school's last state track and field winner in 1993. It's rewarding to have returned as a coach and helped produce three more state champions in a short period of time. 67

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