All Articles tagged Teacher

Nancy Zhang

January 14, 2019

Nancy Zhang graduated with a B.A. from Vassar College with General Honors and Departmental Honors in Chinese Language and Literature, as well as French and Francophone Studies. She was also awarded the Yin-Lien C. Chin Prize for her senior project: an English-to-Chinese translation of “Golden Child,” a play by David Henry Hwang. During her undergraduate career, Nancy received a Fulbright-Hays Scholarship to study abroad in Beijing for one semester through the ACC Intensive Language and Culture Program at Minzu University. She returned two summers later to complete a Chinese teachers training program at the K-12 Teachers Institute.

Nancy began her teaching career upon graduation, starting at a sixth through twelfth grade preparatory school in West Hartford, Connecticut where she taught Chinese, served as a middle school academic advisor, and coached the middle school squash team. She also worked closely with the school’s Department of Diversity and Cultural Competency to advance the social justice and equity curriculum.

From there, Nancy moved on to work at another private school in Westport, Connecticut where she continued to teach Chinese to middle and high schoolers, and also had the opportunity to design an independent study high school French literature course. In her second year, Nancy served on a committee that oversaw the school’s reaccreditation process through CAIS (Connecticut Association of Independent Schools). This opportunity allowed her to develop a deep understanding of the various departments and division levels that contribute to the operations and success of a private school. In her third year there, in response to a lack of such a course, Nancy piloted a Health and Wellness class for seventh through ninth graders. She is currently in her fourth year at this school, and has branched out to working with five to seven year old students in subjects such as Science and Reading.

Nancy enjoys working with students of all ages, and is passionate about developing students’ self-awareness, compassion, and empathy in addition to academic pursuits. She has also provided in-person private tutoring as well as Skype e-tutoring sessions in subjects such as Chinese, Reading Comprehension, Writing Mechanics, and Executive Functioning and Organization Skills.

David Gomprecht

November 11, 2018

David Gomprecht, PhD, graduated from Wesleyan University, where he majored in mathematics and physics, and then went on to receive a Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of California at Berkeley. After working as a research mathematician for a few years, David returned to his hometown of New York City, where he has now been a math specialist and private tutor for over twenty years. His work with students has spanned a wide range of ages from third grade through college.

In recent years, David has become increasingly interested in enrichment mathematics, at a variety of levels. At the competitive independent school where he works, he enjoys running the fifth and sixth grade math club and coaching the high school math team. David is also a long time instructor at the New York Math Circle, where he teaches the most advanced middle school class and the most advanced high school class. In addition, David very much enjoys creating math problems, and is proud to have had problems on the American Invitational Mathematics Exam (AIME) in both 2017 and 2018. In 2017 David also spoke at the Berkeley Math Circle about geometry, one of his favorite topics.

In addition to enrichment work, David has honed his craft over the last twenty plus years by teaching a broad variety of mathematics classes, including algebra, geometry, precalculus, calculus, multivariable calculus, and linear algebra. He has taught precalculus and geometry each year for the last twenty years, and is currently putting the finishing touches on a precalculus textbook that he has written. David also has been a student advisor and a grade dean, and he has been a member of curriculum committees at his school and at the Hunter College Elementary School. Additionally, with the support of the school where he teaches David has fostered relationships with math departments in India, China, and Turkey, and he has taught math classes in Delhi and Beijing.

When David isn’t teaching, he spends his time cooking dinner for his wife and three children, helping his kids with their homework, and pursuing his interests, which include reading, running, cooking, and playing the sitar.

Marisa Krohn

April 6, 2018

By all accounts, Marisa Krohn was born to be an educator. Regularly buried behind a book and eager to share her understanding of the world with others, she enthusiastically announced she would be a teacher on a questionnaire in first grade and never looked back. Marisa brings this same enthusiasm and spirit for learning to her everyday work as a teacher and private tutor.

Marisa Krohn’s lifelong ambition to be a teacher was realized when she attended New York University to pursue a degree in Early Childhood Education, Special Education, and Psychology. At NYU, Marisa had the opportunity to student teach in diverse settings, from private specialized schools for students with learning disabilities to self-contained classrooms for students with Autism. This broad ranging experience allowed Marisa, from early in her career, to pull from multiple resources and disciplines to serve her students in an individualized and thoughtful manner. She obtained her Masters of Arts at Teachers College in Reading Specialization, and served as a practicum supervisor after completion, advising graduate students on their instructional strategies and clinical decision-making. She most recently completed an advanced graduate degree, a Masters of Education in Leadership for Educational Change from Bank Street College of Education.

Currently a School Building Leader in District 1 in Lower Manhattan, Marisa supervises instructional staff, leads educational programming and develops curriculum. Before that, Marisa worked for nearly a decade at PS 234 in TriBeCa, where she served as the school’s Special Education Liaison. Her role encompassed teacher coaching and professional development in addition to serving as an inclusion teacher and a K-5 academic interventionist. Over the course of her career at PS 234, Marisa served in many roles and grade placements from Kindergarten to Fifth grade. Prior to joining New York City Public Schools, she worked as a preschool teacher in a private school and a preschool SEIT.

Marisa is a Reading Specialist and an experienced literacy and math interventionist. She is trained in Orton-Gilingham methodology, including PAF, Wilson Fundations, Sounds in Motion, and Multisensory Teaching of Basic Language Skills. As a classroom teacher, Marisa incorporated explicit phonics instruction into her literacy instruction, equipping students with both the tools they needed to access text and develop a lifelong love of reading. Her writing intervention training includes the implementation of SRSD methodology. Additionally, Marisa is an experienced math teacher skilled at implementing TERC Investigations and Contexts for Learning curriculum.

Marisa has presented professionally on a range of topics, including literacy and inclusion, to diverse audiences, including the PEN conference and to graduate students at Teachers College.

In her spare time, Marisa enjoys traveling, lounging at the beach, and spending time at home with her puppy and young daughter.

Bruce Hrnjez

January 16, 2018

Bruce Hrnjez, PhD, is a physical organic chemist and private tutor. He tutors and mentors students at the middle school, high school, and college level, supporting course work, test preparation, research, science competitions, and independent study. He regularly works with students in New York City, as well as across the globe through e-learning platforms and collaborative tools.

Bruce was on the faculty at Collegiate School for six years. He taught organic chemistry, advanced chemistry, introductory chemistry, and introductory physics—courses that he either designed or redesigned. He was also the Science Olympiad head coach, varsity golf coach, upper school advisor, and research advisor for students working on independent study projects. Former organic chemistry students from Collegiate have found earning A’s in organic chemistry at universities such as Duke, Harvard, MIT, the University of Chicago, and Yale to be remarkably straightforward. Bruce spent a brief interlude teaching AP chemistry and introductory chemistry at Friends Seminary in 2019. He subsequently spent over a year at Basis Independent Brooklyn, where his mandate was to create the chemistry infrastructure, develop the advanced chemistry laboratory curriculum, and mentor young science faculty. He now performs quantum chemical calculations in collaboration with a physicist friend and colleague in their consulting work with chemical industry, and further devotes himself to tutoring students via zoom and in person.

Bruce Hrnjez did his graduate work at Johns Hopkins and spent most of his career conducting research and teaching at the college level. He was an associate professor of chemistry for nine years at Yeshiva University. At Harvard Medical School, he was an Instructor in surgery and a Research Fellow. Prior to his time at Harvard Medical School, Bruce was an assistant professor of chemistry for five years at North Dakota State University. He was a postdoctoral fellow in chemistry at the University of Chicago and at the University of Texas at Austin, where he was also a visiting professor. He has extensively published his research in peer-reviewed journals.

As an undergraduate student, Bruce spent three years doing research in the laboratory of Richard Heck, who went on to share the 2010 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Of course, Bruce didn’t realize at the time that he was contributing to Nobel Prize-winning work, and is pleased to have published his first scientific paper with the future Nobel laureate. He says that Richard Heck is the first to have taught him how to think like a scientist and largely inspired his approach to teaching.

Andrea Simons

October 28, 2017

Andrea Simons is a writing consultant at Grace Church High School, where she helps students with academic essays, college admissions essays, creative writing, and other assignments. She received her B.A. from Tufts University. Andrea helps students outline arguments, form clear and concise thesis statements, and remain committed to their paper’s direction while strengthening their grammar and style skills. Andrea takes a patient and fun approach to writing coaching, helping her students express themselves and personalize their work in order to maximize their potential.

Andrea has had the pleasure of watching her students’ hard work pay off. Former students have had their work rewarded via Scholastic Awards, publication in Teen Vogue, scholarship awards, and more. Andrea encourages students to submit their work to contests and scholarships including including The Iowa Young Writers’ Studio, Hispanic Scholarship Fund, The Betty Award, The Scholastic Awards, and more.

Andrea also helps students with application essays, including personal statements, college supplements, and internship essays. Her students have received acceptances at Harvard, Dartmouth, UPenn, Cornell, Northwestern, Oberlin, University of Michigan, NYU, and many more universities. Andrea works with students to ensure that their writing is clear, concise, and purposeful. She works closely with each student to highlight another piece of their story that may not be present in other parts of the application.

Andrea is also a screenwriter and comedian, and her work has been featured at NewFest, the Women in Comedy Festival, NY Comedy Festival, and more. She is able to adapt her voice to different writing mediums, from script analysis to journalism to fiction. In her free time, she enjoys writing at The Lost Draft and performing comedy.

All Articles tagged Teacher

Nancy Zhang

David Gomprecht

Marisa Krohn

Bruce Hrnjez

Andrea Simons

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