Mrs. Brannigan Off to Bulgaria

By: Sophie Connors '18

Beloved Middle school teacher Mrs. Leslie Brannigan has recently accepted an exciting new job opportunity in Bulgaria. As the middle school history department head, Mrs. Brannigan is described by students as "compassionate, kind, and ardent," as well as an important person in the patchwork of our school community. I sat down with her to chat about what lies ahead, and her hopes for the future.  

What exactly will you be doing while overseas?

I am going to be teaching high school history at an American preparatory school much like Severn, where the majority of students will be American, and I am going to be teaching two new things I have never taught before: Medieval History and US History.

And for how long?

I signed a contract for two years- so I start in August and go until July 1st of the following year.

How do you feel about this opportunity, both for you and your family?

I am personally so excited about this opportunity. I think the idea of global citizenship is really important to my identity and also to the topics I teach in my classroom. To be able to model that kind of adventurous spirit and willingness to try new things, and also to be a minority in another place I think is really important to try to continue to develop as a teacher and as a person. I am even more excited about the opportunities for my kids- my girls will be attending a bilingual school, where they are going to come away from this experience not only having respect for another culture, but also being able to play an active part in that culture and community. 

What do you hope to learn while traveling on this journey?

I think the most rewarding things in life are the things that are the most challenging, and I don't anticipate that this is going to be easy. But, I think it's going to be really exciting. One of the things I am personally looking forward to the most is the geographic location- I am going to be able to have Turkey, Greece, and Italy at my fingertips, and I teach units on all three of those places. So, I think the opportunity to be able to travel and experience those places first-hand is really important to me. I am also looking forward to the diverse history of Bulgaria itself, because it's kind of a coming together of Christianity, the Muslim world, with other pockets of minority religions in that area as well- and I think that's really important, too. I am also so excited for the things I cannot even anticipate . . . but I know it’s going to be incredible.

Anything else you'd like to add?

I just don't want people to think I am leaving Severn because I am dissatisfied with my experience here, or because my children are having a bad experience with the Lower School. In fact, I am walking away looking at this adventure as a really great, exciting moment; but knowing that this is our home base, and that I would love to be able to come back some time in the future, and be able to be a part of the Severn community again in some way.