Brittney Baker-Delaney has been teaching at Gardner for nine years. This year she is teaching U.S. History and, for the first time, Sociology. Though she always had an interest in history, it wasn’t her first choice when it came to teaching.
“I did have a really cool photography teacher when I was in high school, and initially, I wanted to be a photography teacher…” Baker-Delaney said. “It was actual film photo, not digital, because I loved getting to manipulate photos…”
But once she got to college her plans changed.
“When I went to school… I was taking a lot of art history classes and I thought well maybe it will be cool to work in a museum [and] be a curator or something, but eventually that just led to history itself and kinda going down that career path,” Baker-Delaney said.
During her free time, Baker-Delaney enjoys spending time relaxing at home.
“I’m super lame in my free-time… I do love to veg out on my couch and watch shows…” she said. “But if I’m not on the couch I’m usually out disc golfing or I’m out hanging out with friends.”
A big part of Baker-Delaney’s life is her two dogs, Einstein and Raven.
“I got two corgis. The first one is Einstein,” Baker-Delaney said. “He’s got such a personality, big dog in a little body… Then we have another corgi, her name is Raven.”
Baker-Delaney grew up in the Overland Park area and went to school at Blue Valley High School, but when it comes to Gardner she appreciates how the high school has more of a “small town vibe.”
“One of the things I do like about Gardner Edgerton is it does have that kinda small town vibe,” she said. “There’s a lot of things about this school that creates a lot of great community opportunities…”
Baker-Delaney loves how students at GEHS can have different hobbies and interests, but can still come together.
“You got kids that are really into sports, but then you got kids who are really into cars and yet then can all come together and chill,” Baker-Delaney said. “It’s a really cool environment.”
Baker-Delaney is an unofficial co-sponsor of the Tabletop Gaming Club. Though most members play Dungeons and Dragons, she wants students to remember that the club is open for anyone and any tabletop game they want to play.
“[The Tabletop Gaming Club] is notoriously known as the D&D club, but…. if you just want to play Uno with your friends after school… you can come in and play Uno,” Baker-Delaney said. “Dungeons and Dragons kinda dominates it, but it’s an opportunity for anyone to come in and play any type of tabletop games that they want.”
Baker-Delaney describes the structure of her classroom as chill, but still traditional.
“I really want to make sure that in my class that students are really going to have an opportunity to comprehend the material, but also… experience a kind of traditional teaching style, yet have fun with it at the same time,” Baker-Delaney said.
Baker-Delaney said there are some challenges that come with her teaching style.
“It’s kinda hard to balance because there is a lot of skills that students still really need even at the like sophomore, junior, and senior level…” Baker-Delaney said. “Which can sometimes make class not the most exciting, but I always try to balance it out with either finding exciting topics or trying to use my personality to make it not as miserable as it can be at times.”
