Patricia Bainbridge, Ed.D., taught for 17 years and served in administrative roles for 20 years in the Philadelphia School District.
After she retired as principal in the district, she wanted to teach in higher education, leading educators into principalship.
In 2007, the door of opportunity opened for Bainbridge and she joined the adjunct graduate faculty at Cabrini, working with the Reading-Specialist and Principal-Certification cohorts.
She was thrilled when, in 2011, she had the opportunity to join the rapidly growing Graduate Studies program full time as an assistant professor.
When describing her teaching philosophy, Bainbridge points out that adult learners have specific needs.
“When you are teaching adult learners in an eight-week, five-hour class cohort, you have to be mindful that they have worked all day before coming to a class that begins at 4:15 p.m. and ends at 9:30 p.m.,” she says.
Bainbridge was a single parent when she pursued graduate education on a part-time basis while working a full-time job. She takes her personal experience into consideration when developing the curriculum for her courses.
“It was a struggle to achieve balance and academic success,” she says of life during her graduate work. “This is one of the views that I bring to creating and sustaining future programs at Cabrini.”
Bainbridge says that the most rewarding aspect of her time at Cabrini has been encouraging students to become graduate thinkers.
“I take them out of their comfort zone,” she says. “I put the responsibility for their learning on them. I don’t answer every question, but deliberately leave an area for academic freedom.”
Bainbridge mainly teaches off campus, in her former school district at Academy for the Middle Years Northwest in Philadelphia, and also at Upper Darby High School in Delaware County.
Bainbridge earned a doctoral degree from Immaculata University, a master’s from Arcadia University, and a bachelor’s from Temple University. For her doctoral dissertation, Bainbridge researched programs for elementary schoolchildren experiencing emotional disturbances.
In 2005, she presented “Building a Team to Improve Reading Scores” at the America’s Choice National Conference Presentation.
A native of Philadelphia, Bainbridge resides in Chalfont, Pa., with her husband, Don, her dog, Kaylee, and cat, Whiskers. She has a daughter, Victoria. Bainbridge spends her free time playing the piano and occasionally sings with choirs, including church choirs and the Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia.
Contact Information:
Patricia Bainbridge, Ed.D.
Assistant Professor, Graduate Education
Iadarola Center, Room 101A
610-902-8296
patricia.a.bainbridge@cabrini.edu