“Once you are in high school math classes, the math is not just about computations. You need to be able to problem solve and be willing to try things out, even if it means getting things wrong at first. I’m happy to work with any student, as long as they are going to put in the effort.” – Ms. Jennifer Hoffman
Class: Statistics CPE, Algebra 2 CPE
About/Description: “I liked many different subjects in school, but math was the one I most often found myself helping friends with. So when I needed to pick a subject to teach, I chose that. Many people who like math enjoy it because it is logical and has an answer, but while pursuing a Psychology degree in college, I was exposed to Statistics. I found that I preferred the ambiguity of statistics and how much room there was for interpretation. I find it easier to bring real world examples into statistics since everyone encounters data and analysis in the world, even if they never continue with math after high school.”
“Students can expect my class to be welcoming and hopefully find me approachable, but they should also be willing to put in the work to succeed.”
CAPTION: “At the beach with my two sons–I love having so much time to spend with them during the summer.”
FUN FACTS:
- When asked what other jobs Ms. Hoffman would like to do, she answered, “Something else where I get to interact with different people every day: event planner, waitress/bartender, coaching little kids. I like jobs that have a social component to them.”
- “I love spending time in NYC or even Hoboken/Jersey City. Walking around any city always relaxes me. I also love helping coach my son’s baseball team, and you’ll find me at the field most days. During the summer, I’m at the beach a lot.”
“Whatever the focus of the class is for the day, there’s a lot of responsibility on them to be prepared and to be speaking to each other, making eye contact with each other, and really being in the driver’s seat; as far as participation, there is responsibility to behave in a way that is conducive to everyone being part of the discussion.” – Ms. Annalisa Hilmo
Teacher: Ms. Annalisa Hilmo
Class: English 1 CPE
About/Description: “So we’re doing something a little bit different this year, so my class really doesn’t look like it did in previous years. I’ve been implementing something called Harkness teaching into my classroom, which is very discussion based. So typically, the class is either one big circle or two, circles where students are going to be driving the instruction with their questions and their close reading with their comments.”
CAPTION: “[This] is a picture of my family from Memorial day in Old Tappan this year. My husband and the kids were involved in the ceremony.”
FUN FACTS:
- “I actually went to high school with Mr. Train. I don’t know that I would describe myself as like a nerd, but I was very happy to be a nerd. We went to Pascack Hills.”
- According to Mr. Jeffrey M. Train, “Ms. Hilmo is wonderful at telling who people’s celebrity look-alikes are.”
- “Teaching is my second career, and lawyer was my first career. If I wasn’t a teacher, I don’t know if I’d still be a lawyer.”
- “I love to play tennis. Sometimes I play with Mr. Zelcer.”
“I think it’s really important that I see a person in my classroom, not just a random student. And I think part of whatever class I’m teaching, it’s really important for people to connect the material to their own lives. And so one of the things that always, no matter what class I teach, what makes it fun for me, is seeing and hearing the ways that students connect whatever it is we’re exploring to their own personal lives in order to make them more complete human beings.” – Mr. Jeffrey M. Train
Teacher: Mr. Jeffrey M. Train
Class: Speech and Debate, Positive Psych in Practice, English 3
About/Description: “I love all three because of the different opportunities they give me to connect with students and explore different subjects within English. My Positive Psych course is one that I really, really enjoy, because I get to see students discover new things about themselves that makes learning more enjoyable and fosters curiosity and kindness, which is really, really wonderful, and it also makes me a more grateful human being. My Speech and Debate course is a really fun, engaging elective where students get to share a lot about themselves that they don’t typically do in other classes. And I also get to be a part of the process of seeing kids become more confident in expressing their voice and discovering their voice. And for me, that’s really, really rewarding.”
CAPTION: “When I’m not teaching, I love birding with my family and meeting feathered friends, like this Canada Jay. It’s important that we all take time to experience and protect nature.”
FUN FACTS:
- “I would say that I can identify any bird on campus by the sound that it makes.”
- “Every behavior that you observe in birds is interesting. If you just pay attention, no matter what they’re doing, there’s always a purpose behind what it is that they’re doing. And I find that to be really inspiring for us, because if everything a bird does is intentional and meaningful, everything that we do is intentional and meaningful.”
- “There’s so many adversities facing these creatures. It’s almost like everyone that you see is just a miracle, right? That it has made it past all of these possible barriers, and it exists there for you to be able to see and observe; I think it is just wonderful.”
