Millennium Magazine_2ndEd

74 MILLENNIUM-SECOND EDITION A s a child growing up in a large, supportive family, Germaine “Gerrie” Brodeur would often pretend to be a teacher. Though this did foreshadow her eventual career choice, Ms. Brodeur tried quite a few different occupations before settling on her favored profession. She had a strong affinity for mathematics, which led her to begin working as a computer programmer after receiving a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Massachusetts. After discovering that this field was simply not for her, Ms. Brodeur endeavored to find a position that would allow her to make a difference in the world. She went to work at a summer camp in the Adirondacks, where she by chance met a highly evolved woman and camp counselor who convinced her to consider becoming a teacher. Despite her lack of teaching credentials, Ms. Brodeur was recognized for her potential and hired as an educator by the St. Margaret’s School for Girls in Waterbury, Connecticut. She fondly recalls her first day at the school in 1965, which she says felt like home. An avid traveler, Ms. Brodeur was later inspired to move to Hawaii while on a trip to Jerusalem. She worked as a teacher and chairman of the department of mathematics at the Hawaii School for Girls in Honolulu for five years before relocating to Missouri to serve as a teacher of mathematics in the Parkway School District. Ms. Brodeur maintained this position for two decades beginning in 1974 and went on a brief hiatus to complete a Master of Social Work through the University of Missouri in 1989. She also holds a Master of Arts in teaching from Webster University, which she received in 1975. Later in life, Ms. Brodeur shifted her focus to serve as a psychotherapist with Catholic Family Services in St. Charles, Missouri, from 1988 to 1992. She was also responsible for founding the Wentzville United Methodist Church Adopt- A-Family Ministry in 1998 and Bennet Human Services Software, Inc., in 2003. Ms. Brodeur was named Math Teacher of the Year in 1985 and Woman of the Year in 2000. GERMAINE “GERRIE” BRODEUR, LCSW RETIRED SECONDARY SCHOOL EDUCATOR Tiverton, RI