2024 Master Teacher Bre McGranahan

McGranahan, who teaches at Stanley Elementary in the USD 229 Blue Valley School District, said educators do not get to choose who walks into their classroom and what experiences and traumas they have faced prior to entering that classroom.

“It is our job and responsibility to provide a safe environment for them to reach their maximum potential,” she wrote. “When a student walks into our school and classroom with visible or invisible disabilities, they deserve to feel welcomed and empowered to learn as a member of their classroom community.”

Throughout her teaching career, McGranahan has continuously sought out opportunities to create accessible educational environments and teach social and behavioral skills for those who demonstrate a deficit in those areas.

“Advocacy for these principles of my teaching philosophy has become a pillar of my practice regardless of my school, district, or title,” she wrote. “As a general education teacher, I worked daily to instill inclusive attitudes amongst my students and worked collaboratively with my colleagues to create opportunities for all students to learn regardless of their ability.”

McGranahan said that every student deserves passionate educators who will go the distance to meet the varied needs of all students.

“Every student deserves to feel as though they belong and matter in our classrooms and our schools,” she wrote. “They should be able to put down the baggage from their lives for the eight hours a day that they are in our buildings because they know they are safe and in an environment where they can thrive, regardless of background or ability.”

McGranahan ensures parents are highly involved in their child’s education and are an integral part of their child’s educational team. In special education, the roles and responsibilities of team members are magnified significantly, she said.

“We are all working together towards common goals of having their children be successful and that requires open communication between all stakeholders,” she wrote. “I find that it is vitally important to develop a relationship with my families and parents of my students that demonstrates I am here walking side by side with them as they navigate education for their child with exceptional needs.”

McGranahan also strives to make sure her students have access to their communities. She does this by creating opportunities for them to be actively involved in the community surrounding them. She has facilitated opportunities at local restaurants, stores and parks to allow her students to practice functional life skills while also providing the community opportunities to be welcoming and inclusive to students of varying abilities.

“Just because my students communicate differently and engage with their world in a different way does not mean that they cannot participate in similar activities to those around them,” she wrote. “The look on my students' faces when they get in the pool to swim and are able to be independent, even if they have mobility needs, is something I will never forget.”

McGranahan earned three degrees from Pittsburg State University: a bachelor of science in elementary education in 2015, a master of science in education technology — technology integration specialist in 2018 and a master of science in special education from Pittsburg State.

Stanley Elementary Principal Beth Bodenhamer wrote that McGranahan is an exemplary teacher who has a passion for doing whatever it takes to provide students with a meaningful learning experience.

“Bre believes that all students deserve the opportunity to be successful,” Bodenhamer wrote. “She is patient, kind, and intentional when handling difficult behaviors while also maintaining grace and genuine care when corresponding with parents during delicate conversations.”