Our Everyday Work
Educators bring life to De La Salle's vision of a good teacher
By Brother Brendan Kneale, FSC,
Jacqueline Tasch, and Terri Wetter

Loreva Bromley :
Providing a Safe Environment that Encourages Exploration
Math teacher Mary Mills was "tough as nails with a heart of gold," recalls Loreva Bromley, whose career was inspired by Mills. "Nobody goofed off in her class, but I felt safe and validated, and stretched to the max." Specifically, she remembers a day in her senior year, when Miss Mills stopped the class to tell her she "was doing just wonderfully," Ms. Bromley says. "All of a sudden, I felt smart. It was absolutely thrilling." Mills is "a huge part of why I'm teaching today."

Knowing how students thrive in that supportive kind of environment, Ms. Bromley has done her best to recreate it in her math classroom at La Salle High School in Milwaukie, Oregon.

Part of her strategy as a teacher is "to keep [students] working from bell to bell," but the atmosphere is relaxed enough that "students feel they can take risks in my classroom and jump in and try a problem," Ms. Bromley says. "I think I am good at getting students of all different levels to stretch their abilities."

Recalling a college professor who was always telling his classes how much he loved them, Ms. Bromley does the same with hers.

"I absolutely adore them," she says, "and they know that. When they know that, they're willing to work hard for you."

La Salle High School Principal, Bill George, says of Loreva Bromley, "She teaches her class like a conductor leads a symphony."

Ms. Bromley insists on old-fashioned etiquette in her classes. No one would dream of calling her anything but Ms. Bromley. But that hasn't kept her from hugging her students and, occasionally, crying with them. "It's nice to be able to address the needs of the whole student and not have to pretend a spiritual aspect doesn't exist," she says. "You can't help students grow to their potential if you're ignoring this huge part of their lives."