Bryan Watts is in his third year of working at Woodford County Middle School; he is the recipient of the 2018-2019 Woodford Outstanding Service Award for WCMS. As an instructional assistant, Bryan enjoys the opportunity to work with this age group every day. He says, “I’ve learned the importance of listening when a student is willing to tell you things.” He smiles and says, “If we’re not willing to listen to them, whether it be about My Little Pony or the Cincinnati Bengals, how are we going to reach them with math?” Mr. Watts believes that listening to students is a critical part of building relationships with them, which is a major emphasis of each school in our district.
Mr. Watts began working for Woodford County Public Schools as a substitute teacher. He received an email detailing an opportunity for a one-month commitment for a substitute instructional assistant at WCMS. “The Lord provided this opportunity. About two weeks into it, they made it a full-time position.” Jean Valeriote, Special Education teacher at WCMS, is certainly grateful for how Bryan’s role unfolded. She says, “I've been working with Bryan for three years now. He makes outstanding efforts every day to connect with all students. Bryan's wide depth of content knowledge across three grade levels, coupled with his patience and compassion for helping students grow, make him one of WCMS's most valuable resources. He is valued and respected by students and staff alike.”
Working with kids provides countless meaningful moments for educators. Bryan says the most rewarding part of his job is watching students grow. He explains, “I’m able to see a student who is really struggling with something rough at home or is having difficulty understanding a concept begin to overcome it. They work through those difficulties and have success, whatever that looks like; it may be understanding a better way to do math or a better way to handle anger. Seeing kids take positive steps both academically and behaviorally...it’s a rush.” Bryan had a recent example of this. “A student I’ve worked with for three years came to me last week and had tears in her eyes because her test scores were much higher than she thought they would be. That’s success.”
Tracy Bruno, principal of WCMS, remarks, “There are several students who would not have been successful without Bryan’s presence at the middle school; he is that big of a factor in the success of our young people.” This responsibility is truly an honor for Bryan. He says, “I really view this generation as the future...This is an opportunity to help shape the future.”
In regards to working at the middle school specifically, Bryan emphasizes, “We have an awesome staff. It is an immense pleasure to work here. I love the attitude and culture from top to bottom. Everyone is on the same page to help students be ready, respectful, and responsible.”
Bryan's positivity, authenticity, and ability to connect with students are reasons why he has a tremendous impact on our middle schoolers; we are grateful to have him encouraging the students in our district.
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