Can you tell us about your background in education/athletics?
I played a lot of different sports growing up in Connecticut, so I have always been interested in athletics. I graduated from UConn in 2015 with a sports management degree, but I always knew in the back of my mind that I would end up teaching, especially after growing up with my dad being an educator. After graduating from UConn in 2015, I taught at an independent Jewish Day School in Connecticut in a similar role to what I do at Conservatory Lab. After two years, I switched roles to teach at another school in Connecticut, then eventually moved up to Boston about five or six years ago. I spent a year working at a nonprofit called Good Sports, then I realized that I really missed the classroom and direct service with kids, and I’ve been working at Conservatory Lab ever since. I just love sports and being active, so it seemed like a good combination to come here and teach kids.
What’s the highlight of your year so far?
Our middle school basketball team. They made the playoffs for the first time in four or five years. The kids really put their all into the games, and it’s amazing to see all of their hard work pay off. Mr. Freeman and Ms. Leconte are doing a great job coaching this year, and it’s so cool to see how far the students have come after being their coach for the last three years. The games also show how much school spirit we have at Conservatory Lab; so many students stayed after school to watch our first home game and cheer for the team that we had to start putting a limit on the number of crowd members.
What is your favorite thing to teach?
I love teaching the little ones in pre-k and kindergarten, which I never thought would be the case. This was a new experience because before Conservatory Lab, I primarily had taught middle school and a little bit of high school. They get so excited about learning simple games like tag and catch. They’re just so fun to be around–how can you be in a bad mood if you’ve got 15 four-year-olds running around with smiles on their faces?
What is your relationship with music?
I played the trombone in 4th and 5th grade, and I was in choir up until my junior year of high school. But actually, I’ve always been around music. My two older brothers and my mom are very good singers–my mom used to be in a women’s chorale group in our hometown, and both of my brothers did a cappella in high school. My best friend was in an a cappella group at UConn, and so that became my social group. I actually met my wife because she was in an a cappella group. So, music has always been in my life, and I love going to concerts and seeing shows.
What’s new in the athletics department at Conservatory Lab?
We just hired Lenny Brown, who is coaching after school and helping out with recess. For the current spring season, we have track and field and flag football. We haven’t done flag football before in the time that I’ve been here, but there’s been so much interest, so we’re excited to get it off the ground.
What are your hobbies and interests outside of teaching?
I love going to the beach. My wife is also a teacher, and in the summer we’re just at the beach all the time. We’ll go down to the Cape, we’ll go to Coast Guard beach in Eastham, and we’ll even go to Nahant or Winthrop and just try to steal a few hours in the sun. I also love to read, I’m a big reader. It’s how I decompress and try to go to a different world.