Teacher Spotlight: Dr. Brooke Helling
By Ellie B.
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Dr. Brooke Helling has been teaching for 24 years. She is a teaching and learning specialist as well as the dean of students at NSA. Her role as a Teaching and Learning Specialist involves writing and revising courses, coaching teachers, planning professional development, and more. As dean of students, she is responsible for student safety and discipline.
A typical day for Dr. Helling can vary significantly. She usually begins by catching up on emails and messages, and she usually has a few meetings. Then, if she has time , Dr. Helling likes to work on bigger projects. Currently, she is in the process of creating a Student Safety and Discipline Team.
Dr. Helling has always wanted to be a teacher. “I played ‘school’ incessantly as a child” she told me. “My friends and cousins always joke because I would never let anyone else be the ‘teacher.’ So, by the time I went to college, it was a foregone conclusion that that is what I would do.”
Dr. Helling’s favorite part of teaching is the connection with students and families. “I have great joy at ‘catching up’ with former students to see what God is doing in their lives.” Additionally, she really likes writing curriculum and coming up with “out of the box ideas for teaching a concept.” However, Dr. Helling’s least favorite part of teaching is the “monotonous administrative tasks that have to be done. I understand that they are important, but they aren't fun!”
In the process of ensuring that students learn, Dr. Helling has learned things as well. “I have learned to be flexible from my time as a teacher. I am very structured and love routine, but things don't always go according to plan in the classroom, and you have to roll with it and be prepared to adjust.”
When asked what advice she would give to students, Dr. Helling said that “the advice I would give anyone is sort of my mantra: Anything worth doing is worth doing well. In other words, if you are going to do it, do it to the very best of your ability. If you are just going to do the bare minimum, you might as well not even do it at all.” As Colossians 3:23 says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters” (New International Version).
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Ellie B. has been at NSA for five years, and she has been a member of the Navigator for three years. She is a pre-professional ballet dancer with plans to pursue it as her career. Additionally, she would like to earn a college degree in journalism. Ellie lives in Virginia, USA, with her parents, brother, and dogs.