Gibbs Helps Fuel the Learning of Delaware’s Young Minds
Brandon Gibbs entered the education field knowing it was rare for elementary students to see male teachers at school. For that reason, he has focused on being a positive role model to help boys feel more comfortable in class, and to possibly encourage them to become teachers, too.
"I love sharing my personal experiences and my passion," said Gibbs, a 2015 elementary education graduate from Delaware Tech. "It is rewarding when you get to see kids understand and comprehend the lesson, and watch them come in every morning excited to learn."
After graduating, Gibbs worked as a special education paraprofessional at Morris Early Childhood Center in the Milford School District while pursuing his bachelor's degree at Wilmington University. Gibbs started working at Morris in January 2016, and barely a year later, he was notified that he was named Paraeducator of the Year for the school. A few months later, he was named Paraeducator of the Year for the entire district.
As a special education paraeducator, Gibbs assisted teachers with collecting student data, working in small groups with some of the kids, managing the classroom, and helping with lunch and bus duty. At Morris, he worked with both the pre-k and kindergarten age groups.
In 2018, Gibbs started working full-time for the Indian River School District as a fifth-grade special education teacher at Georgetown Elementary School.
"Elementary school is where they learn all of the fundamentals, so I would like to continue to have an impact on that," Gibbs said.
Gibbs' interest in becoming a teacher first started with his senior project in high school. He created a project that he taught to his peers, and he really enjoyed the process of putting together a lesson plan and explaining it to others. He also worked at the Boys & Girls Club in Dagsboro and always enjoyed helping kids learn.
"I thought how great it would be to teach them every day and be a positive role model for them," he said.
Attending Delaware Tech was an easy decision for Gibbs. Besides being close to home, he knew that he could take advantage of the SEED (Student Excellence Equals Degree) Scholarship program and attend tuition free for two years. He also knew he could seamlessly transfer his credits after graduation.
Gibbs learned many of the skills he applies to his current position during his time at Delaware Tech, including classroom management, lesson planning, and various state assessments. He said the observation hours each teacher completes at local elementary schools were invaluable.
"Being able to get out and observe and work with kids and other teachers was a big motivator for me," he said. "It was great to be able to read about things in the classroom and then see them applied in person."
