​Educational  Philosophy

I believe English Language Arts – reading, writing and public speaking – are essential for understanding ourselves, our fellow human beings, and for thinking and communicating effectively.  Thought and language are inextricable; practice in either strengthens both!  I also believe students learn best from a teacher who is empathetic, knowledgeable, funny, respectful

and demanding.

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I have read thousands of novels, plays, poetry, and short stories.  I can analyze all of them and teach my students to do the same, while incorporating current events and other nonfiction into my lessons as appropriate.  I teach classic and contemporary, American and global literature, and literature by men, women, Whites and people of color.

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My lessons are important and engaging (no worksheets, no busywork), and I teach at the students’ level (no Shakespeare until the kids can understand it). I share my thought processes so students learn to trust their own thinking and evaluate their own work.  I elicit student opinions and listen to them.  I correct spelling and grammar, showing students how to edit and proofread their own work.

Classes are small, so each student receives individual attention.   

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Education and Experience

• BA in Literature from Bard College

• Master's degree in Public Administration from New York University

• Completed several graduate courses in education at Teachers College, Bank Street College and others

• I taught for over twenty years at New York City public high schools, from neighborhood schools to specialized schools, grades 9-12.  My students come from a wide variety of backgrounds and ability levels. 

• My SAT scores were in the top 1% in the United States. (Funny how I remember that after fifty years!)