Staff Spotlight: Melanie Bridges
Melanie Bridges is a Behavior Manager at Goodwin Elementary School whose work extends far beyond assisting the students in her classroom. With a passion for family engagement and helping those in need, she makes a positive impact on the entire school community.
Goodwin Principal Daniel Brodeur said, “She's the Behavior Manager for the 12 children in her room, she does hundreds of times more work. She has an exponential effect on the kids, pretty much every single Goodwin child because she knows them all.”
Outside of her Behavior Manager role, Bridges works as a Learner Engagement and Attendance Program (LEAP) Coordinator. She meets with families to ensure students have what they need to come to school every day and try their best.
Bridges was nominated for the district Staff Spotlight feature by EHPS Family and Community Partnership Coordinator Michelle Texidor.
“She understands the importance of personalized attention and takes the time to listen to each family's unique needs and concerns, offering guidance and assistance every step of the way,” said Texidor. “She offers emotional support and encouragement, creating a warm and welcoming environment where families feel valued and respected.”
Principal Brodeur says her “heart of gold” leads her to go above and beyond her job duties, working all year round to support Goodwin students and families.
“Every time I find out from a parent, they got a new pair of shoes, they got some some clothing, they got assistance, they got emotional support, Melanie was involved,” said Brodeur. “We just benefit from her every single day.”
Learn more about Melanie Bridges in this Q&A below.
How long have you worked for East Hartford Public Schools and in what capacities?
I have been in the district over 28 years in a variety of roles. So I started at Willowbrook School, which is no longer here in East Hartford. I was a substitute for teachers, Head Start and readiness. Then I transitioned into East Hartford Birth to 3, where my love of family engagement began, just going into homes in East Hartford and just seeing what the needs are.
After that I became a behavior manager for the self-contained classrooms. I also am a LEAP Coordinator, so just building relationships with families, going out in the community.
What is the job of a Behavior Manager?
My job, I feel, is to build positive relationships with these students. We're here to make them feel safe, make them feel loved. We need to be present. I am giving hugs all day. I am just showing them love, all of the kids in the school, parents too. I have relationships with all my families. They start texting me at seven in the morning that they didn't sleep well, that you know, he didn't eat. “Can you make sure he uses the bathroom?” At night, “How did he do today?,” so, I’m available.
What does a typical day look like for you?
As behavior manager, my job is to kind of keep things in place, de-escalate any situations going on, talk to them, model, give them the language they need. A lot of kids, you can just talk to them. You know, they could have had a bad night. So I think that you have to have a lot of patience. I have so much patience. I'm Mama Mel. I will pick them up, hold them, love them, give them kisses.
I think some people think Behavior Managers we’re sitting at the door like security. No, that's not what I do. I'm changing diapers. We don't have to. But what am I going to do, sit there? I wear sneakers. I'm on the floor all day. So, you know, Behavior Managers, they're not Behavior Managers. I'm everything.
The role you’ve taken on at Goodwin goes far beyond your job description. What work are you doing to support families outside of your classroom?
There are so many things that I don’t think a lot of people know until you’re really out there in the community.
Families will come to me, they don't have sneakers. Yes, I’m making sure they have sneakers. If they don't have sneakers, then they don't want to come to school.
Families that move here from other countries, they have to register but they don't know how to do it, so I'm in their homes helping them..
They don’t have uniforms. They won’t send their kids to school, I’ll reach out. “Why didn’t so-and-so come to school?” “I didn’t have clean clothes.” And I’m like, no, send them and I’ll do the laundry for them because we have a washer and dryer.
So there's just so much going on, and if I could just do little things like getting a pair of sneakers for a kid, getting a pair of Crocs, you know, I sleep better at night.
What called you to do this type of work? Where does your passion for helping people come from?
I just feel like it’s my love for kids. My mom always showed us how to always help people. Like, if there was someone that needed a place to go for Christmas, they were at my house. We had a big Italian family. So I feel like that ties with my love for helping families, helping with behaviors at home, like, what can we do? That's just my passion. So just a love of kids, especially those kids with special needs, they don’t have a voice. So just to be there for them and these parents. If I could just help them and just be there for them, answer their calls, send them pictures throughout the day, you know, my job is completed. That's how I feel.
What is your favorite part about your job?
I think my favorite part of the job is just coming to work and making sure my kids feel love, and my coworkers. My coworkers are family, you know? I love them to death. We have a good close group, and we laugh. You have to laugh, and that's how we get through the day. But just being a team, you know.
What's the most rewarding part about doing the work you do?
A lot of the kids that I had last year moved to a 3-5 program at Pitkin. I went to see them and when they saw me, they ran to me, and it just showed that I made a difference. Even with those parents, they still reach out and, you know, invite me to a birthday party. So just to know that you made a difference in these kids’ lives and in the parents’ lives, that’s what makes me happy.