About Mr. McManus

I have been an educator with Burlingame School District for over 25 years and have taught 2nd through 5th grade self-contained classes and 6th grade Social Science and Language Arts.

I became interested in education a few years after I earned a BA in Psychology from Sonoma State University. Following graduation in 1992, I spent a year in Northern Spain restoring a 500 year old farm house when I was offered a jobs as an English Language Instructor in a small, two room, public school. The class I taught spanned third through eighth grade. Although I had very little experience teaching children, I was fluent in English.

The children and the teachers of this school inspired me. They were so driven to learn that any lesson or activity I brought to class was embraced with enthusiasm. I watched as the other instructors did everything they could to meet each student's individual needs and to provided a quality educational experience regardless of the lack of resources or the student's ability. The students responded to the teachers in such a positive manner and I was certain these educators were making a positive impact on the lives of these children. This experience helped me to realized that this was the kind of person I wanted to be when I returned home. I wanted to make a difference in the lives of children. 

After traveling through Spain and across the Middle East and Asia for the next two years, I returned to San Francisco where I enrolled in graduate school and earned my Multiple Subject Teaching Credential from San Francisco State University, followed by a Masters degree in Educational Technology. My first job as an educator was in the Burlingame School District at Washington Elementary School where I've been an active, innovative, and dedicated member of the school and community for the past 25 years.

I feel that my experiences as a classroom educator in a socially and economically diverse neighborhood school,  my understanding of child development,  the multicultural understanding I gained while living abroad, and the leadership skills I developed through the "Leaders in Education" Administration Program, that I am skilled to meet every child's needs. 

Brian McManus