I loved literature more than science

/

My time in high school

Attended high school in the
1990s

Overall high school experience
10/10.   I am still in touch with the friends I made my senior year. We have continued to see each other at least once a year since graduation in 2001.

Grades in high school
Mostly A's

 

Favorite subjects
English, Choir

Struggled with...
Physics

Favorite extracurricular
Music

Life since high school

“When I was younger, I presumed success was about prestige and measures of intelligence (ie grades). Then I got into the working world and realized that no one cares what grades you got - they really care about how you interact with other people, not how “smart” you are.”

Attended college / university at
UC Davis

Majored in
English major with a minor in Education (and almost minor in Psychology)

Post-graduate education or training
Masters in English Education from Columbia University Teachers College 

Places lived in US
California, New York

Places lived outside the US
I spent about 6 weeks living in Israel one summer

Current occupations / past occupations
English Teacher

Industries I've worked in
- Retail Trade
- Educational Services

Did your education prepare you for your career or occupation?
Having [teacher name omitted] as my English teacher for two years is the reason why I am an English teacher today. I was inspired by my classroom experience with him and his teaching style.

A little introspection...

To me, being successful means...
doing "good" in the world and helping make it a better place, even if it is just one person at a time.

My definition of success has changed over time. 
When I was younger, I presumed success was about prestige and measures of intelligence (ie grades). Then I got into the working world and realized that no one cares what grades you got - they really care about how you interact with other people, not how "smart" you are.

My greatest accomplishment to date and what I’ve learned from it
When I was teaching in Harlem I helped get one of my low performing students, who wasn't from a family of "means," into a summer writing program at UPenn. He came back the following school year an enthusiastic writer and philosopher. His grades rose and he ended up going to a SUNY for college.

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