What is your favorite teaching moment?

I love when kids go outside the classroom and connect what they’re learning to everyday life. This year, a child asked me if I had seen the John Adams television show. I don’t even have HBO! I didn’t assign it, but he took it upon himself to seek out an opportunity to extend his learning and he was very excited about it.

What is your favorite book?

There are so many but one I really love is Advise and Consent by Allen Drury. It’s about politics – behind the scenes wheeling-and-dealing in Washington.

What is your favorite lesson?

I teach a lesson on mining by giving each student a chocolate chip cookie and a toothpick and telling them to extract the chocolate chips. They learn how difficult it is—and how expensive, because their toothpicks break and they need new “tools.” They do all of this on paper towels, which get covered in crumbs and chocolate, so we talk about what mining did to the environment.

Tell us a few words about your own favorite teacher.

My fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Gyves. Oh goodness, I loved her. She was tough and had high expectations, but she also took a personal interest in her students. I remember the final class project was an autobiography. I had fun putting together the story of my family—and I remember feeling that she was interested in it. I also remember a young teacher, Ms. Anderson, who took me and my best friend out for our first taste of caviar.

What is your favorite school trip?

I love the Lower East Side Tenement Museum.

What is your favorite tradition at your school?

We have a new tradition. For two years, we’ve participated in NYC History Day. The students create projects for a competition. This year, they were really contenders; they almost placed, and they were up against some very elite schools throughout the city. The topic was “Conflict and Compromise,” and their project was about the election of 1877—there was a question about popular versus electoral votes.

Name the school supply you can’t live without.

A good stapler! I just bought a heavy-duty red one. To me, it says, “This is red so we all know it’s mine!”

What is the best quotation you’ve heard from a student?

“I’m just gonna call you Ms. Encyclopedia.”

What is it like to teach in an all-boys middle school?

The kids are great! They aren't distracted and they don't have to be ashamed to raise their hands and be smart.