教师重点:2019年10月

SW: I graduated in 1993 from Marian Catholic High School in Chicago Heights. Then, I followed our beloved 'Quinnies' [Social Studies Teacher/alumnus 约翰·奎因76年] to Amherst College, w在这里 I graduated with a B.A. 英语和黑人研究. After working for a year, I went to L’Université de Montpellier III in France.  T在这里, I earned my Métrise in French Language and Culture. The following year, I enrolled at Columbia University in New York, w在这里 I earned my M.A.T. 用英语.

SW: I have taught in three different countries and in a variety of schools before crashing through the halls of Fenwick. During my second year of teaching in Qingdao, China, I met a math teacher by the name of 丹·纳瓦罗 [esball世博1997级]. I told him that when my sons grew older, we would probably move back to the Chicagoland area. “You should go to my alma mater and see if they have any open positions. If Mr. Finnell is still alive, tell him that I became a math teacher because of him!” Imagine the odds of meeting a Friar in a Chinese city of 8,000,000. I’m sure Finnell could figure that out.

SW: 好吧,我 是 读特雷弗·诺亚的 生来就是罪犯. But, alas, my reading-by-the-pool days ended when Google training started. These days, I’m feverishly trying to get through our new textbook for English II Prep, 读懂世界.

SW: 嗯 . . . Are teachers actually allowed to leave Fenwick, or is this more like the “Hotel California?” Any free time I may stumble upon is usually usurped by my two sons, Sage and Zen. Sage is a senior at Fremd High School and Zen is a freshman. Sage plays in the marching band and is on the gymnastics team, while Zen plays soccer. I have heard that Soccer Moms are the lowest form of humanity, so I suppose that is what I am pursuing outside of the classroom.

SW: I played volleyball, basketball and ran track in high school. 现在，我爬上3级台阶^rd floor and feel sorry for [Math Teacher] Dave Setum in the Bell Tower!

SW: I am the sponsor for the International Relations Club! 我们主持 安妮Smedinghoff '05 Memorial Lecture and several Breakfast Q & 每年都得A. Also, some students have approached me about starting an Asian Appreciation Association at Fenwick. 我希望我们能做到这一点!

SW: If I had to choose one, I would say gratitude.

SW: 嗯 . . . I’m not sure that I decided to become a teacher. Who in the world would make such a decision??? I think I decided to travel and teaching 是 the perfect means for a broke college kid to do so. I’ll let you know when I decide upon a profession.

SW: a) I can subsist on a mix of Starbucks and the free sludge they serve in the Faculty Lounge; and b) Whenever my positivity tank runs low, I can always visit my three favorite optimists: Father Winkels, 康拉德教练和努多教练.

SW: I’m really enjoying my Mandarin I class this year! English II is always ice creamy, but I do miss laughing with the seniors in Brit. 点燃.

SW: I’ll let you know if and when that ever happens.

SW: 学生们很难找到希望. They often seem overwhelmed by stress, 学业上的压力, 课外的承诺, 缺乏睡眠和负面新闻. 在过去23年的教学生涯中, I have witnessed a steady decline in idealism, 乐观和能动性. 

Fenwick students, on the other hand, are buoyed by their faith. They lean on and support each other. They still believe that they can improve the world and, because of that, they will!