PORTSMOUTH- Shawnee State University’s Center for Lifelong Learning welcomed over 500 local educators for a professional development session with Gerry Brooks. Brooks is an elementary school principal in Lexington, Kentucky who gained national fame when he began to share self-recorded videos in an exaggerated southern drawl about America’s schools. Speaking in the theater of the Vern Riffe Center for the Arts, Brooks’ talk was part of a monthly professional development curriculum hosted by the center for teachers every year.

“We wanted to find a speaker that would really resonate with our local educators to wrap up this year’s professional learning series,” said Amanda Hedrick, SSU Director of the Center for Lifelong Learning. “Project BEAR Director, Hayley Venturino, isn’t afraid to dream big and was responsible for sharing our story and securing this amazing speaker. What better way to kick off the summer than to gather to share laughs and lessons learned! Brooks inspired each of us to think about our school culture and gave practical examples of what we can do to support each other.”

Vice President for Advancement & Enrollment Management and incoming Interim President beginning Jul. 1, Eric Braun, welcomed the group of over 500 educators before introducing Brooks for his talk. Brooks discussed common issues faced in schools while focusing on encouraging teachers to improve their instruction through personal climate, culture strategies, and challenging administrators to focus on how to lead all staff in a positive and constructive manner.

Part of the event, all guests were provided with a plain white coffee cup, representing a blank slate. Brooks gave insight into the parting gift.

“This cup represents your power to make a mark on each child or teacher depending on how you interact, listen, and mentor them,” he said. “You have a chance to give someone their dignity every single day. You have a chance to turn a non-descriptive coffee cup into something amazing through your words and actions.”

To learn more about programming within the Center for Lifelong Learning at Shawnee State University, visit www.shawnee.edu/center-lifelong-learning or contact Hayley Venturino at [email protected].