Brittany Atkerson (right) teaching at Padilla Elementary School.
When you’re the oldest child, being a role model for those younger than you often comes with the turf. As the oldest of eight siblings, teaching came naturally for Brittany Atkerson. Naturally, she became the only one out of her entire family to graduate from college with the clear desire to be a teacher.
This December, Brittany will complete her 24th year of teaching in 27J. Throughout her career, she’s taught at North, South, Southeast, Henderson, and Thimmig elementary schools. She currently teaches at Padilla Elementary, where she’s been since its opening in 2021.
Brittany’s impact on students extends far beyond her years of experience.
“The kids in this community will be the leaders of it twenty years down the road,” said Brittany Atkerson.
“I know what it’s like to have grown up in a tough environment. At one point, my family was homeless,” Atkerson said. “Through teaching, I can take these hard lessons learned in life and empower my students to overcome their own challenges, even if it feels like everything is stacked against them.”
Atkerson started in 27J as a bilingual teacher before ESL (English as a second language) programming was implemented. Growing up as a first-language Spanish speaker, Atkerson had been denied the language support she needed as a student. To provide a different experience for her second language speakers, Brittany worked to receive a master’s degree in bilingual, bicultural education.
Currently, over half of her fifth-grade class at Padilla speaks a second language, highlighting the need for teachers and specialized staff that can provide this type of support.
Beyond the impact in the classroom, Atkerson runs into current and former students in community places like the grocery store. She’s able to catch up with them and offer any support they may need.
To name a few interactions, she was able to write a reference letter for Jose Venzor, a former Thimmig student applying to join the Marines. She also saw Antonio Salcedo, another former student, graduate as valedictorian of Prairie View High School. When she first met Antonio, his family had just moved to the United States, and she played an essential role in helping him learn the language and the culture.
Teaching and parenting
Brittany cares about each and every one of her students. Just as she touches the lives of her students, they have touched her life too. “My students have helped me be a better mom,” she said.
As a parent and teacher, Atkerson has a foot on both sides of the education landscape. She is no stranger to the fact that she works for and chose to have her children go to school in an underfunded school district.
“In my entire career of twenty-four years at 27J, I have only seen a voter-approved mill levy override pass once, and that was in the year 2000,” Brittany said.
“When my children were going into high school, I thought about taking them to another school district with more funding and robust programming than what 27J could offer. I ended up deciding to stay with 27J because I truly believe in 27J and their absolute care and commitment to students.”
Atkerson has not regretted this decision. Two of her daughters, Airista and Rylie, graduated from Innovations and Options and Brighton High School.
At Innovations and Options, Airista received the support and personalized learning she needed as a student with a disability. Airista is now a front-end manager at Lowes.
At Brighton High School, Rylie found her passion for business through DECA, a business club that prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for careers in business. Rylie is now at the University of Northern Colorado, pursuing a degree in business management so she can one day own her own business.
McKenna, the youngest of the Atkersons, is currently a sophomore at Brighton High School. She is in the pre-medicine Career and Technical Education (CTE) pathway, which will allow her to earn a Certified Nursing Assistant certification, intern with Platte Valley Medical Center, and participate in the HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America) club. These opportunities will put her foot in the door toward her goal of becoming a doctor.
Investing in our futures
This picture doesn’t paint the full story of the challenges Brittany and every teacher and parent face.
Although 27J offers STEM and CTE programs like pre-medicine and business, it does not have the funding to staff and offer competitive salaries for the highly specialized teachers it needs for these programs. The 2021 Bond is paying for the construction of a new STEM/CTE Center at each comprehensive high school, but the bond can only pay for the construction.
This November, for the first time in over twenty years, voters approved a mill levy override measure (5B) that will fund these needs. The measure will be used to keep high-quality teachers and support staff, improve student safety, and hire the STEM/CTE staff needed to give students job-ready skills.
Brittany understands what passing this measure means for students now and in the future.
“The kids in this community will be the leaders of it twenty years down the road,” Brittany said. “By investing in these kids’ education, we are shaping our own futures. These kids will be the ones running our community. We want them to have received the best possible education to prepare them for this and for them to see the value in investing in their communities when they grow up.”
Brittany is one of the many teachers in 27J who students will remember long after they’ve moved to the next grade levels. They will remember because teachers are more than what they teach. Teachers believe in us and challenge us to grow. They care–not just about how well you’re doing in class but how well you do in life. Teachers Matter.
