Curiosity and Bailey Vitali
Bailey Vitali teaching first graders remotely during “learn from a fort” day.
If you’ve passed by the Learning Support office this year, chances are you’ve seen Bailey Vitali. Possibly with one of her two huskies, Zella and Hampton, not far from her thoughts. As a new member of Newman’s student support team, she works with 7th and 8th grade students, bringing with her a love of language learning, non-traditional teaching, and all things Whole Brain.
Before coming to Newman full-time, Mrs. Vitali taught 1st, 3rd, and 4th grade in Idaho and Utah. So what drew her to middle school this year? “I enjoy working with scholars at every developmental stage and age!” she said. “The middle school cohorts at Newman are some incredible humans, and it was a no-brainer in choosing to work with this age group.” She got to know the community last year as a substitute teacher and knew she wanted to stay.
Mrs. Vitali’s background is in both reading intervention and special education, and her teaching style leans heavily into non-traditional approaches. Her graduate thesis focused on bodily-kinesthetic learning through Whole Brain Teaching and American Sign Language. “Such fun topics!” she said. “In short, WBT is a method used to activate multiple areas of the brain during learning. It combines direct instruction, cooperative learning, gestures, and classroom management techniques to make teaching interactive, energetic, and fun.” The ASL gestures make it even more engaging: “It makes for great learning!”
Having taught in Idaho, Utah, and now Massachusetts, Mrs. Vitali says Boston stands out. “There is such a passion for academia in Boston and Massachusetts as a whole that I haven’t experienced anywhere else in my career thus far,” she said. “The rich history and culture, the diverse student population, the world-class universities and resources, and the strong sense of community and activism make Boston especially unbeatable.” And at Newman specifically? “Our Newman students are thoughtful, kind, welcoming, inclusive, inquisitive, and hard working,” she said. “It has been wonderful working in an environment with such dedicated scholars.”
Bailey Vitali teaching a math lesson on measurements.
Outside of school, she loves language learning (Spanish and Portuguese) and spending time with her huskies. Though, as she admits, they’re not always easy to keep up with. “Oh dear, that is a tough choice. I would have to say keeping up with Zella and Hampton,” she said when asked what’s harder: huskies or Portuguese verb conjugations. “All those Beefy 5-Layer burritos from Taco Bell when I was pregnant with Baby Sawyer are still being worked off! Keeping up with their shedding alone is a feat. I would take some Portuguese verb conjugations all day.”
And what is she curious about at Newman? “I am curious about how we can all make Newman even just a smidge better each day!” she said. “Growth is incredibly important to who we all are in this world. I am curious about ways we can all consistently live up to this idea of being life long learners.” She paused, then added: “I am also slightly curious about how we can get far more furry companions on campus.”
