Andrea Plis is our newest addition to Bellows Free Academy’s department of English. Plis is passionate about reading and wants to instill her passion for books in her students. Plis doesn’t remember the exact moment she wanted to be a teacher, but she does remember always finding comfort in reading. 

Before her arrival at BFA, she was in South Carolina for the last four years teaching middle school. She went to Ohio University where she compares the setting to the University of Vermont because of the old brick buildings and the trees scattered throughout campus. The reason for her move to Vermont is her husband; he recently took a new position at UVM as a lecturer. 

Plis’s favorite thing about our school is the scenic drive she takes to get to St. Albans from Winooski every day. She loves the sense of community we have in Vermont and our good drivers. BFA’s proficiency system is new to her, but she is making every effort to have the system benefit her students.

“I really like [the proficiency system], and it makes sense to me that I am not grading you on whether you did your homework that day. I’m grading you on whether or not you know the material. And, I just feel like so far my kids have better grades than they would have otherwise because we get to practice beforehand,” Plis said.

Plis has a passion for teaching all ages, but her favorite is younger students.

“I like teaching younger students. I think that I can see more opportunities for me to help when they are freshmen and that everybody has a different skillset and strengths. My strength is helping kids who are just getting started out with their high school careers,” Plis said.

Her least favorite thing about virtual learning is the loss of personal interaction.

“It’s harder to connect with [students]. And I’m trying to find ways to get to know them. My biggest hang-up with everything is not getting to interact with them as much as I would like to,” Plis said.

Plis was nervous her first day, but knowing her students showed up despite having more to be nervous about gave her courage. 

Plis’s passion for her students is apparent through her actions. She uses her own personal experiences in middle and high school to aid her students.