Teachstone co-founder and CLASS tool co-author, Bridget Hamre, has dedicated her career to improving teacher-child interactions. Bridging research and practice, Bridget leads efforts to use the CLASS system for assessment, accountability, and professional development in early childhood and other educational settings. She continues to leverage implementation science to inform the successful delivery of improvement interventions at scale.
A little over a month ago, Bridget welcomed Julia and Lucia—two beautiful twin girls—into her family. While Bridget is now enjoying some quality time with the girls and her son, Oliver, we were lucky enough to squeeze a short interview in before she went on leave. Bridget reflected on her inspirations, why she does this work, and how what she said would never happen happened.
Who was your favorite teacher?
I had two Language Arts teachers that co-taught in 7th and 8th grade, Ms. Martine and Ms. Quinn. They were different from every other teacher I had. They made us work really hard, expected only the best, and could be quite tough if they knew we weren't giving it our all. But no one had any doubt that they cared about us deeply and respected us as young people. They trusted us to read things that many others wouldn't and to have interesting conversations that probably pushed some boundaries. And, best of all, they never failed to make us laugh!
What inspired you to found Teachstone?
There is a huge disconnect between what the latest science tells us works to support teachers and students and what happens each day in classrooms across the country. We founded Teachstone to help bridge that gap, taking evidence-based measures and interventions and bringing them to the field at a large scale.
I have been truly inspired through my research in watching great teachers teach. At Teachstone we provide tools that schools can use to help ensure that each student has access to amazing, talented teachers like Ms. Martine, Ms. Quinn, and the ones who have helped us in our research.
Why do you do this work?
The sign of a great job is that you are never bored, and I am certainly never bored in my work at UVA or Teachstone. There is so much to learn about how to help teachers make the most of each day they have with students in the classroom and how to take these lessons to scale in ways that can support teachers and students around the country and world. I am surrounded by amazing colleagues at UVA and Teachstone; the relationships I have with them keep me going in the work in the same way we see relationships inspire teachers and students.
What inspired your career in education?
When I was a teenager I told my mom, who was a former hippy and a teacher that there were three things I'd never do: wear bell bottoms, buy a minivan, or teach. Well, now I've done all three, and ultimately, my mom inspired my career in education. During my training as a clinical and school psychologist it became clear to me that coming into therapy once a week wasn't the solution for most children who were struggling. I saw how powerful relationships between teachers and students could be in helping to set children on a positive trajectory in school and in life. My work has centered on trying to understand how to help teachers form those relationships and use them to support each student that walks through the classroom door.