New Teacher Feature: Gilbreath Starts at RT-C

Jaimie Gilbreath joins Round Top-Carmine I.S.D. this year as an elementary special education teacher. She taught 12 years at La Grange I.S.D. prior to her recent move.

“I’m actually coming back home,” she said. “I’m an alumni from here. I graduated from Round Top-Carmine. It’s kind of like full circle. I’ll be the special education teacher for the elementary, focusing mostly on reading, writing, math and dyslexia. I’m pretty excited about that.”

Gilbreath said she looks forward to teaching academics. She previously served as a behavior intervention teacher.

“I started 12 years ago as a behavior intervention teacher,” she said. “Most of my students were emotionally disturbed, and I progressed from there to a self-contained behavior unit. I taught socialemotional awareness classes, and I intervened whenever crisis situations would occur.

“It’s going to be different,” she added. “This is the first year I’m working on academics instead of behavior.” Gilbreath came to the classroom as a second career. She worked in law enforcement prior to teaching.

“My background has been with at-risk students,” she said. “I started out at the Sheriff’s Office. I was a juvenile probation officer. Then I became a crisis counselor, and then a behavior teacher.”

Gilbreath will work with about 14 special education students on the elementary campus. She said she looks forward to working in a small-school atmosphere at Round Top-Carmine I.S.D.

“I liked working at La Grange, but the lure was coming to a small school, a closeknit group,” Gilbreath said. “I’m from here. My sister is the librarian. My parents live in Round Top. It’s coming home and it’s a smaller, intimate group. That was very comforting to me.”

Gilbreath described her teaching style: “I don’t sit down much. I walk around constantly, checking on how they’re doing. Because of my background, I feel I’m pretty good at reading kids – their fidgets and facial expressions. I want them to work independently, but when they need help, let’s figure it out together.”

Teachers reported to campus about two weeks ago to begin preparing for the new school year.

Gilbreath praised the school for welcoming her to the staff.

“It’s just like getting together with a family,” she said. “We’re all together, very open, and it’s an honest, collaborative effort. It’s all about the kids. People are asking, ‘How can I help you? Do you have any problems with anything?’ It’s been amazing.”