Wildcat Spotlight: Bhairavi Nagle

Math teacher Bhairavi Nagle is new to the Wildcat staff this year, but you may only see her occasionally as she splits her time between schools. Nagle teaches Algebra I and Geometry here and at Short Pump Middle School. No matter where she’s teaching, she always sees the best in her students, encouraging them to engage with the material and ask questions.   

   “You shouldn’t be judging whether your question is silly or smart,” said Nagle. “A question is a question.”

   In her opinion, the fear of embarrassment shouldn’t prevent students from wanting to learn more than what’s being taught.

   Nagle is only present in the building through the end of first block each day. The lack of time with her high school students has been an obstacle for her. However, she manages to persevere and inspire students through the universal language of math.

   “Two plus three always equals five no matter where you are,” Nagle said.

   This universality has significance in her own life since she only recently moved to the U.S. from India. She’s taught in this area for a few years, despite this being her first year at Deep Run. She began working here because it was closer to home, allowing her to spend more time in her classroom. The biggest downside is the commute between her assigned schools.

   “I think this would not have been possible if I did not have support from the staff and the faculty that is at Deep Run,” she said. Nagle appreciates being part of a tight-knit community, which is one of the reasons she became a teacher in the first place. She majored in physics, but at a certain point, she decided to improve her math skills. She started teaching to pass on the knowledge she gained to others.

   Nagle taught for a year in India, but she never tended to open up with students. During her next year of teaching, however, she got to know her students better. She found it interesting that they all had different goals and interests, yet they still came together to learn and grow as people. She continues to learn new things from her experiences teaching math.

    “I’m getting more from the students than I’m giving them,” Nagle said.