As 2018 approaches it is time to focus on those who are leaving Pentucket. One of those people this school year is Mrs. Brophy.

Currently, Mrs. Brophy teaches honors and CP biology. In the past, she has taught anatomy and physiology, earth science, and physical science. Her favorite class to teach has been biology.

I interviewed Mrs. Brophy to discuss her thoughts on her career at Pentucket and her life as a teacher.

Shaun: What did you love about teaching?

Mrs. Brophy: I love working with students and teaching them about a healthy lifestyle, as far as teaching them about personal health, about our environment, so it will empower to make informed, positive choices for their future.

Shaun: What will you miss most about teaching?

Mrs. Brophy: I will miss interacting with students. I love to see the progress that students make from the beginning of the year to the end. I also enjoy seeing how students mature through the high school year, when they come and visit me, and it’s very gratifying for me, knowing that I’ve been able to play a role in shaping their academics, in preparation for college.

Shaun: What do you want your students to remember you for?

Mrs. Brophy: I think I’d like them to remember me for my sense of humor, and the fact that a hard subject can also be fun.

Shaun: Why are you retiring?

Mrs. Brophy: I want to finish teaching while I still have a lot of energy and enthusiasm, and maybe for my own personal growth, to try something a little different outside of the classroom.

Shaun: What was your favorite part of Pentucket?

Mrs. Brophy: There are a lot of nice things… My favorite part are the very sweet students and colleagues that I’ve had the opportunity to work with.

Shaun: What do you plan to do next after retirement?

Mrs. Brophy: After retirement, I’m looking forward to a new adventure, in either the medical or science field where I can work part time.

Shaun: You have a lot of expressions. What is your favorite expression?

Mrs. Brophy: I think my favorite expression is “Let’s get cooking!” because it’s positive and it gives you the feeling that we’re gonna get a lot done, but I have to say that it’s very hard narrowing it down to one expression.

I also talked to other students and teachers here at Pentucket about what they think of Mrs. Brophy’s teaching style is like: “She was very funny with her catchphrases and she made bio very interesting.” says Cailin Kelly, a former student of hers.

It isn’t just the students who enjoy Mrs. Brophy’s teaching style, but it’s the teachers at Pentucket too: “I think she has a very unique and fun style of teaching. She engages the students with her… analogies… and the students really like that she really gets into the science of biology and teaching it.” says Mrs. Endyke, the current science department head here at Pentucket.

Many people told me about memorable experiences they’ve had involving Mrs. Brophy. For example, Ms. Costello, the librarian here at Pentucket, told me that one time she saw a dummy in the corner of a hallway and thought it was a real person. It was a dummy for a crime scene setup for former Pentucket science teacher Mr. Goguen’s, forensics class: “She came around the corner here, by Mrs. Cherry’s room, and she thought it was somebody who had passed out, like, was injured- something. So she starts yelling down the hallway, ‘Are you ok? Are you ok?’ And then she literally starts running down the hallway- she gets to what is Mrs. Ward’s room now, and then she realizes that it’s actually a dummy and it’s the forensics crime scene…” said Ms. Costello, “It was hysterical.”

“She was a really nice teacher and helped us when we needed it. She also helped us review for quizzes and tests. The class is also memorable to me because of the many jokes that she told and her expressions.” said Ricky Jegorow, a former student of Mrs. Brophy’s.

Mrs. Brophy is also currently co-leading the freshman team, with Mrs. DeCoste, a math teacher at Pentucket: “She’s just been a solid asset for the freshman team.” said Mrs. DeCoste.

During the interview, Mrs. Brophy also discussed her background. She earned an undergraduate degree in nursing at University of Rhode Island and a masters degrees in education and biology at University of Massachusetts.

Mrs. Brophy started out as a nurse at Mass General in the surgical area for eight years. She worked with patients who needed surgery because of various disease related complications.

After moving on from that, she decided to work on preventing people from getting diseases. When referring to the shifts that she experienced throughout her career, she said, “From my experience in a trauma area, I decided I wanted to focus my career on prevention and preventing diseases and working with students to teach them about their bodies and about a healthier lifestyle.”

Mrs. Brophy is a very well respected, enthusiastic teacher and she will be remembered all throughout the history of Pentucket.