Dr. Gurtler settles into second year of history

Born in Kansas and raised in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, Dr. Bridget Gurtler teaches Ancient World History, U.S. History, History of Sports, and an Advanced Research class with Mr. Timothy Lengel this year.

     Dr. Gurtler holds a Bachelor’s degree from Wellesley, a Master’s from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and a doctorate from Rutgers. She has held numerous teaching jobs at the collegiate level. 

“I knew I had the interest and that I loved to read, and then I was lucky enough to find good mentors in high school, college, and grad school.”

Dr. Bridget Gurtler

     “I’ve always had a passion for history, and I love the art of research and of storytelling, so from a very early age I liked going to those museums that your parents would drag you to, and I enjoy going to public history sites,” Dr. Gurtler said. “Because of that, I knew I had the interest and that I loved to read, and then I was lucky enough to find good mentors in high school, college, and grad school that showed me that you learn something most deeply when you’re teaching it.”

     When it comes to the classroom, Dr. Gurtler finds structuring a lesson satisfying: “I enjoy thinking about how to put a class together and an idea in a way that is accessible to lots of different sorts of people… thinking about how history can be useful and interesting to a lot of different audiences has been a big thread for me and it’s something I feel passionate about,” Dr. Gurtler said. 

     Beyond her educational and teaching backgrounds, Dr. Gurtler has an ever-changing field of hobbies. She enjoys both teaching and participating in sports, and she participated in numerous triathlons. She also enjoys spending time with her two children, running, staying in shape, and learning to fix old houses. 

     While her time at Haverford has been short so far, she has thoroughly enjoyed it. 

     “I think that the community here has been incredibly welcoming to someone who’s new to independent school teaching,” Dr. Gurtler said. “They’ve really been wonderful in showing me the ropes.”