Hester Burdman Named Assistant Head of Middle School
Incoming Head of Middle School Stephen Blan announced to Middle School faculty and families earlier this week that Hester Burdman will be Fort Worth Country Day’s Assistant Head of Middle School effective July 1, 2021. Burdman served in this role from 2017-19.
She left the Assistant Head position to spend a year abroad with her husband, Michael, and children, Natalie ’30 and Nicky ’28, in Shanghai, China, where she was a Grade 6 Math and Grade 7 Information and Communications Technology Teacher at Soong Ching Ling School. This academic year, she returned to FWCD and has served as a Middle School math and science teacher and the sixth-grade lead.
“I’m thrilled to have Hester return to administration,” Blan said. “She has experience and a great mind for scheduling, as well as the other complex details of running our middle school. More importantly, she has proven to be a thoughtful, caring person who seeks to nurture students and teachers alike.”
Burdman is a passionate educator. She joined the FWCD family in 2013 as a math and science teacher. She had previously taught middle and upper school math at the Portledge School in Locust Valley, New York (2003-07) and middle school math at Trinity Valley School (2007-13). At FWCD, she redesigned the sixth-grade math curriculum, transitioned from textbook-based lessons to iPad lessons, as well as designed curriculum objectives and aligned courses for grades 5-8 math classes. Burdman also established Math Buddies, a program that paired sixth-grade students with students in lower grades.
Head of Middle School John Stephens named Burdman as Assistant Head of Middle School in August 2017. In this role, she helped launch the Awesomeness Initiative, the Middle School’s nongraded elective course, served as Lead Coordinator on the Faculty Education Council, and continued serving on the School’s Strategic Plan Steering Committee.
Burdman holds a BS in Economic Analysis and Mathematics from the State University of New York at Binghamton and an MS in Secondary Education from Hofstra University. She is committed to continuing education and professional development, having completed the Klingenstein Summer Institute at Columbia University, Schools Attuned through the All Kinds of Minds Institute, and the Women's Leadership Seminar through The Heads Network. She also is Ropes Course Certified.
“Hester is a caretaker, nurturer, organizer and consummate educator,” said Head of School Eric Lombardi. “We have been lucky to have the whole Burdman family as Falcons for years now, and we look forward to more of her good work in this important role in our middle school.”
