New AP Literature teacher for the high school, Bryan Estes was born in Spokane, Washington. Bryan lived with his parents and brother who is 11 months younger, for five years in Spokane. When Bryan was five, his folks divorced and he moved with his dad and brother to Rathdrum, Idaho. His dad remarried when Bryan was eight. At age 12 his family moved to a remote log home in Rathdrum. He spent his childhood hunting, making art and tree forts. He was very creative, always thinking up new ways to explore his surroundings and create whatever was important to him at the time. Bryan says he was not a "strong student" and just got by with good enough grades. He felt his teachers were "sleepy" and did not make learning very exciting. Summers and holidays were spent with his mother and he graduated from high school in Rathdrum. He then went off to junior college to start a degree in mechanical engineering. Bryan took a philosophy class along the way and everything changed! He also got married and had a daughter, Paige. She is currently a student at the Univ. of Idaho. The marriage was short lived. After junior college, he joined the army for two years. After his military service, he went to the Univ. of Hawaii at Hilo to get his bachelor's degree in Philosophy. While Bryan was in Hawaii, he did a student exchange to Texas and stayed one year after graduating. It was during this time that Bryan drove an 18 wheeler! He said the experience gave him plenty of time to ponder what he had learned in school. After a year, he relocated to Bellingham, Wash. to get another Bachelor's degree from Western Washington Univ. His degree was in Literature. It was at this time that he became an avid rock climber and stayed in Bellingham three years. An opportunity in Japan opened up for Bryan to teach both middle and high schoolers at local Fuqui schools. After this experience, he went to Southern Illinois Univ. to get an MFA degree (Master of Fine Arts). He taught classes while he was a graduate student for three years. It was at this time that Bryan realized that he wanted to be a teacher. He found teaching to be a very happy and creative process. Bryan moved to France and lived there seven months. He met his current girlfriend on a Greyhound Bus and they have now been together nine years! Bryan eventually moved to Portland and went to Portland State Univ. to get another Master's degree. This time it was a Master's in Education. Rachel, Bryan's girlfriend, is currently attending Lewis and Clark Univ. studying Pyschology. In the Spring of 2015, Bryan interviewed at Corbett and fell in love. He says he felt comfortable right from the beginning. He currently is living in Portland with Rachel and their cat, Mau-Mau. He is an avid reader and usually turns to non-fiction.
