Bryan Bassette
Elmhurst United Middle School
Oakland, CA USA
"The part of the job that I love is knowing that I am influencing minds in a positive way—not only for their success, but for the success of our people and the success of our community."
Career Roadmap
Bryan's work combines: Education, Sports, and Teaching / Mentoring
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
Don't go into teaching thinking that you're there to save your students. You're not there to save them. You're there to give them the tools to bring themselves up. If you take it upon yourself to "save" them, you won't be as effective and you'll probably end up burning out. Be authentic and empathetic and teach your students the tools they need to succeed.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Sociology
California State University, East Bay
Graduate Degree
Education, General
University of California, Berkeley
Life & Career Milestones
I've taken a lot of twists and turns
1.
I grew up in Oakland, California, and was a student-athlete all throughout school.
2.
Both of my parents were educators, but I had no intentions of following in their footsteps—I dreamed of becoming a professional baseball player.
3.
I didn’t end up getting drafted and was no longer a student-athlete—without sports, I lost my drive, stopped applying myself, and was academically disqualified from college.
4.
I started coaching high school baseball and found that I loved mentoring and building relationships with the kids.
5.
I went back to school for my bachelor’s degree and started substitute teaching—once I saw firsthand that teaching was about relationship-building and mentorship, I was hooked.
6.
I started teaching at Piedmont Avenue Elementary with the Office of African American Male Achievement—I was the first to pilot the program for elementary school students.
7.
Once I had my own classroom and was able to infuse cultural and social awareness into my curriculum, I really fell in love with teaching.
8.
I taught for seven years before moving into education administration—I’m currently the assistant principal at Elmhurst United Middle School.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Myself:
I'll never be a teacher. Teaching is not for me.
How I responded:
My parents are both educators and my mom encouraged me to do the same. At the time, I had no intentions of becoming a teacher. I did not think teaching was for me. After my dreams of becoming a professional athlete were broken, I started coaching and eventually progressed to teaching. And I loved it! Teaching is about relationship-building and mentorship, which are the things I really liked about coaching. All along, I told my parents I'd never teach, but here I am now and I love what I do.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
When I wasn't professionally drafted and was no longer a student athlete, I lost my drive, started doing poorly, and was academically disqualified. Coaching baseball helped me find purpose again. I went back to school and earned my B.A.