For Angela Purtell ’21, ’24, choosing SUNY Brockport wasn’t just about academics—it was about finding a place that felt like home.
I felt welcomed as soon as I walked on campus,” Purtell said. “It felt like my fears of going to college had gone away.”
“I felt welcomed as soon as I walked on campus. It felt like my fears of going to college had gone away.”
Angela Purtell
Purtell, now in her fourth year as an English Language Arts teacher at Spencerport Central Schools, still utilizes the teaching philosophy she learned at SUNY Brockport from Professor Cody Miller.
“Dr. Miller was the professor that had the biggest impact on my teaching philosophy,” Purtell said. “He emphasized student-centered learning and pushed us to think about why we teach the way we do—not just going through the motions.”
Another key piece of Purtell’s teaching method that she learned at Brockport is to build strong relationships with her students to help learn how to best teach each individual student.
“I try to learn about their interests, joke around a bit, and share little pieces of my life too, within reason, of course,” Purtell said. “When they know you actually care about what they’re saying, even the small stuff, it builds trust.”
Dr. Miller’s encouragement to tie curriculum into current events and discuss social justice issues helped Purtell see the broader role of educators.
“It made me realize how powerful our role is—not just in teaching content, but in helping students make sense of the world around them,” Purtell said.
“It made me realize how powerful our role is—not just in teaching content, but in helping students make sense of the world around them.”
Angela Purtell
While working in the Spencerport School District, Purtell continued her collaboration with Miller to co-plan and co-teach a literature circle unit for her ninth grade Honors English class culminating in a presentation at the 2023 New York State English Council (NYSEC) conference.
“The overarching theme of the unit was how we can use literary lenses—such as a feminist lens, Marxist lens, and New Historic lens—to analyze literature and better understand the world around us,” Purtell said. “It is important for educators to share the work they do every day in classrooms and the impact that this work has on student success.”
As a full-time teacher now for four years, Purtell offers a key piece of advice for current Brockport students interested in becoming a teacher.
“The best way to learn how to be an educator—as well as best practices in instruction, classroom management, and social-emotional learning—is to start teaching. College can only prepare you so much for the job, but most of what I’ve learned has been from working in the field,” Purtell said. “You will make mistakes, but these are all learning experiences to better your practice in future years.”