Brenna Autrey, Guilderland teacher, is “100-percent in”

Brenna Autrey describes herself in this week’s podcast, as “100-percent in” and “very headstrong.” An English teacher at Guilderland High School for 18 years, she cares deeply about her students, some of whom she has stayed in touch with throughout their lives. She vividly remembers Sept. 11, 2001 when she was teaching ninth-graders in rural Iowa and had to “put on a face” to guide them through the day of the terrorists’ attacks. She decided that day to return closer to home and, after finishing out her obligation for the school year in Iowa, set her sights on Guilderland. Now, she is guiding her students through the crisis of coronavirus, teaching them remotely while missing the face-to-face classroom exchanges. She is also co-advisor to the Class of 2020 and has marveled at their growth over the past four years, particularly at the way they have reacted to the loss of many rites of passage like their senior ball and traditional graduation ceremony. Rather than harboring a sense of entitlement and crying, “Why me?” or being angry, she says, they have developed as-yet-to-be-announced ways to come together and also contribute to others.

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