Bethany Howard and Megan Haynes Form New Special Education Team at MBU
The School of Education at Maranatha Baptist University (MBU) is pleased to announce that Bethany Howard, a former Special Education teacher and a current faculty member at Maranatha Baptist Academy, and Megan Haynes, a Special Education teacher at Calvary Christian School, will be joining the Special Education faculty in the fall of 2021.
Bethany Howard
Howard is originally from Connecticut and has lived in Watertown since 2009. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Multi-categorical Special Education from Bob Jones University in 2007, and her Master of Education in Teaching and Learning from MBU in 2016. Howard is currently finishing a graduate concentration in Special Education from MBU.
Howard began her teaching career fourteen years ago in low-income, inner-city public schools, teaching middle-schoolers in a self-contained special education classroom. “I grew up in a Christian home, school, and church and entered the public school fresh out of college and somewhat naïve about everything in a public school.” Howard states. “When I look back on those years, I am so incredibly thankful for the way God opened my eyes to the needs of my students and people in general.” She is reminded that her perspective on life has drastically broadened. Howard has specifically loved being a part of Maranatha Baptist Academy’s faculty, where her husband is also a teacher.
Howard enjoys taking advanced concepts and helping students “make it practical” for their daily lives and jobs; reminding students that it’s okay not to understand a concept the first time or not be the top student of the class. “As a teacher, I am looking for growth and maturity in my students throughout the school year.”
By teaching with a biblical worldview, Howard hopes to encourage students to pursue Christ in the classroom and incorporate Christ into their classrooms as teachers. “I am looking forward to working with MBU Education majors, guiding them to take a biblical worldview into their first classroom.”
Howard’s personal experience teaching and her passion for students make her a perfect fit for Maranatha’s education faculty. Her desire to see students learn how to become good teachers and incorporate a biblical worldview and hands-on experience will no doubt benefit the University education majors and faculty.
Megan Haynes
Haynes graduated from MBU in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education with a minor in Special Education. In 2018, she completed her Master of Education in Teaching and Learning through MBU, including graduate courses in Special Education.
Haynes has taught in self-contained classrooms and support classrooms for seven years. Concerning her current support classrooms, Haynes says, “Some of the things I do regularly are determine what support a student needs to succeed, organize extra help for students who are struggling, work with the classroom teachers, and teach alternate courses when appropriate.”
Having the opportunity to teach at the university-level, Haynes expressed her excitement to support future teachers and equip them with the knowledge she has learned first-hand in the classroom. Haynes reflects that one of her favorite aspects of teaching is experiencing the “light-bulb” moments – students learning something new. She also loves sharing Biblical truths with students that they can incorporate into their future classrooms. Haynes says, “I love the opportunity to build relationships with students.”
The School of Education looks forward to having these qualified women join the MBU team and continue the mission of training Special Education teachers that make an eternal impact for Christ.