A Love for School That Started in the Upper Peninsula
Growing up in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Brooke Bevins was the kid who was secretly disappointed during snow days. School was her landing space. It was where she felt connected, curious, and excited to learn something new.
Neither of her parents graduated from college, but they valued education deeply and supported every part of her academic journey. With the help of excellent teachers, Brooke earned a full academic scholarship to Central Michigan University. Although she did not start as an education major, the quiet clarity she found during the COVID-19 pandemic led her to rethink the life she wanted to build. She realized she wanted to give students the same support, belief, and opportunity that her teachers gave her.
That realization brought her to the classroom.
A First Year Defined by Creativity and Community
Brooke’s first year of teaching looked different from what she expected. Ottawa Hills was in a season of transition, and her team was working hard to rebuild systems with fewer hands than usual. Stepping in as the only science teacher in the building meant learning, adapting, and problem solving quickly.
What made the difference was the team around her.
Even with limited staff, there was an incredible amount of grit, creativity, and heart in the building. Her colleagues modeled what it meant to show up for students, lean on one another, and innovate with purpose.
Brooke’s own work ethic became one of her defining traits.
“I always tell people I am just a worker. If something isn’t right, I research, I ask questions, and I push myself until it is better.”
Those early years shaped her into the reflective, hands-on educator she is today.
Inquiry That Brings Science to Life
As Brooke settled into her role, she realized something important: her students needed science they could touch, question, and experience. Many had taken science online during the pandemic and desired a deeper experience with hands-on learning.
She reordered her entire approach. Instead of starting with notes or a lecture, she let students explore first. Hands-on labs and real-world questions became the entry point, and the content followed.
“I was afraid to try labs because I was nervous to try a flipped approach with students who hadn’t had extensive science experience. Now we do labs the first week of school. Inquiry is how I hook them.”
Her classroom culture is built on exploration, movement, and real-world problem solving. She also pushes herself to try innovative tools that excite her students. When she trained on the Prisms VR platform, she was far outside her comfort zone. Her students, though, immediately dove in.
“My students have taught me to stay curious. Learning is a shared journey, and the best classrooms are the ones where we discover things together.”
Place-based education has become a cornerstone of Brooke’s instruction. With her students, she created an urban pollinator garden through a partnership with Calvin University. Together, they researched native plants, cleared the site, and transformed an unused courtyard into a living habitat. Several students applied for and earned positions on Calvin’s summer Green Team, gaining paid experience in environmental science.
The work also strengthened relationships.
Some of Brooke’s most meaningful conversations with students happened not in the classroom, but outside in the courtyard.
“Some of my best conversations with students happened side by side in the dirt pulling weeds. Being in nature opened them up in ways the classroom didn’t.”
The project culminated in an opportunity Brooke will never forget.
Her students were invited to share their pollinator garden at the Grand Valley State University Place-Based Education Symposium. Standing in a university setting, they explained their research, answered questions from educators and community members, and spoke with a confidence that reflected just how much they had grown.
How Her Leadership Strengthens the School Community
Brooke’s influence extends far beyond her classroom. Assistant Principal Christine Holland, a TeachMichigan Sitting Leader Fellow, sees the consistency, care, and leadership Brooke brings to Ottawa Hills every day.
“Brooke has the skills and composure rarely seen in an Early Career Educator,” she says. “She has been an invested leader since the day she joined Ottawa Hills. She leads our PBIS (Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports) team, represents us in the district’s MTSS (Multi Tiered Support Systems) work, and consistently steps up to support the school community.”
Christine is also struck by Brooke’s balance of empathy and high expectations.
“With my office two doors from her classroom, I often hear her accountability conversations with our freshmen. She centers student voice while still insisting students bring more to the table. It is abundantly clear why her students love and respect her and her classroom.”
Her leadership reflects exactly what she brings to her teaching, belief in student potential, paired with the structures and support students need to rise to it.
Helping Students See Their Own Potential
Brooke measures success in the moments that can’t be easily captured in a report card. A hesitant student volunteering to help a classmate. A quiet ninth grader raising their hand for the first time. A student who once avoided participation taking the lead during a project.
One student’s transformation stands out.
At the beginning of the school year, she barely spoke. Brooke built trust slowly, checking in, encouraging her, and creating space for her voice. By spring, she was deeply engaged in the pollinator project and earned a role on Calvin’s Green Team. At the GVSU symposium, she presented repeatedly with excitement and pride.
Her growth embodied exactly what Brooke hopes every student experiences.
Brooke is intentional about building a classroom where every student feels important and valued. She often teaches at their level, kneeling beside desks to support and encourage them. She creates a culture where mistakes are expected, risk-taking is normal, and each student understands the role they play in the classroom community.
She also leads the PBIS team and created a schoolwide Student of the Month recognition system because she believes students deserve to be publicly celebrated for their strengths.
Brooke Bevins
Brooke Bevins is a 9th grade Biology teacher at Ottawa Hills High School in Grand Rapids Public Schools and a 2023 TeachMichigan Early Career Fellow. She is known for bringing science to life through inquiry-based instruction, place-based education, and hands-on experiences that give students ownership of their learning. Her pollinator garden project, launched in partnership with Calvin University, connects students to real-world scientific work and opens doors to career exploration in environmental science.
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