I just love the community at Bridgewater. When people leave Bridgewater State programs, they feel prepared for whatever career it is they end up pursuing. Bridgewater is a place that builds a strong foundation in its graduates.
Nathan Couto, ’10, enrolled at Bridgewater State to study creative writing. He graduated with a degree in elementary education but never abandoned his passion for the written word.
Now, the school administrator is blending his personal and professional interests by writing children’s books.
“Working in education, it made sense,” said Couto, who was a third-grade teacher before moving into administration. “I was constantly reading children’s books to students and planning lessons around children’s books.”
Drawing on his own life experiences, Couto infuses his four children’s books with lessons on integrity, peer relationships, kindness, respect, and the need to look beyond someone’s appearance. Couto, who writes under the pen name Casanova Couto, includes ideas for how teachers can incorporate the books into their classrooms.
He has also published a fantasy novel, which he began while a Bridgewater student. The school, Couto said, offered everything he wanted in a college.
“I just love the community at Bridgewater,” said Couto, who also majored in geography. “When people leave Bridgewater State programs, they feel prepared for whatever career it is they end up pursuing. Bridgewater is a place that builds a strong foundation in its graduates.”
Couto credits his elementary education classes (especially hands-on activities such as student-teaching) with preparing him to enter the classroom as a teacher.
Today, Couto is the curriculum, data and assessment manager for English learner education for the New Bedford Public Schools, and focuses on serving students for whom English is not their native language. He supports the district’s teachers and ensures compliance with regulations.
Whether working in education or writing children’s books, Couto is driven by the opportunity to make a difference in young people’s lives.
“The reason I fell in love with elementary education was really the children,” he said. “They’re learning about the world and to contribute to that learning is really meaningful to me.”
Do you have a BSU story you'd like to share? Email stories@bridgew.edu.