My name is Rita Bernhart and I love education! I hold a certification in secondary
education with history as my content area. I also am certified in middle school language arts. I have recently obtained my
Masters in Education with a certification in Special Education. I obtained the majority of my education at Holy Family University.
On a personal level, I am a mother of five children with my oldest being 23
years of age and my youngest children being 12 year old twins. My love of education stems directly from my children. When
my oldest child entered kindergarten, I made an active effort to be a part of her education. At first, I volunteered often
within the classroom and Home and School Association. During that first year, I was elected to the position of Treasurer in
the Home and School Association and then a few months later, I was hired to be a classroom assistant in the 4th
grade.
The moment that I am most proud
of concerning education was when I was invited to sit on the Board of Directors for a charter school that was still in its
infancy of development. It was then that my creative ideas concerning education
were heard and some were even implemented! Throughout the construction of this
magnificent school, I assisted in the selling of this wonderful idea to parents in the neighborhood. I encouraged hundreds of parents to entrust their children to a new style of educational institution. My love and respect of charter schools obviously comes from my past experience and
I recognize what sets charter schools apart from traditional school environments.
While at MaST, I held a variety of roles, all of which I enjoyed immensely! My
official title was Community Liaison, which kept me involved with local businesses, the faculty, parents, and the students. I loved working in the classroom and substituted when needed. This was the final push that helped me to recognize that I needed to become a teacher. During the first year of transition from conception to reality, it was difficult to find teachers that
shared the same vision of the Board for MaST. Often, I found myself taking on
the role of teacher and I had the privilege to substitute in grades kindergarten through twelve.
Once graduated from Holy Family, I took on the position of social studies teacher at an alternative learning school
in Philadelphia. In February of 2008 I was most fortunate to come to CSL and this is where I hope to stay for a long time.
I enjoy the middle school and truly find my students to be AWESOME! CSL is a great place not only to learn but to develop
social skills and the experiences needed once a student is out in the working world!
I look forward to meeting my new students, welcoming back last year's students, and meeting the parents of my students
this 2009-2010 school year!
