Words from a Teaching Fellow

Since I began working at Hackley in July, there has been one refrain that I’ve heard over and over again from colleagues and students alike: “So, is it really weird being back at Hackley?”

I’ve been asked this question so frequently because I’m in a bit of a unique situation. This is my first year working at Hackley, but it is certainly not my first time being part of the Hackley community. I am a Hackley alumna from the Class of 2018, and I have returned as a Teaching Fellow for the 20222023 school year.

During the summer, I helped with Hudson Scholars, a thriving community engagement program in which Hackley students serve as academic and extracurricular mentors to students in the Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow area. Now, during the school year, I teach ninth grade English and a Creative Writing independent study, dabble in substitute teaching for the English department, and serve as a faculty advisor for The Vision, Hackley’s literary and art magazine that is led and organized by students. Outside of the classroom, I partner with the Admissions and Advancement offices.

It has been a joy to rave about Hackley—as both an alumna and a faculty member—to prospective families and to dig through the archives for a Grille Room project that has allowed me to discover the myriad ways in which Hackley has transformed throughout the years.

When I was searching for teaching jobs during my senior year of college, Hackley was an obvious place for me to look. I adored my experience as a student here, and my time at Hackley heavily influenced where I wanted to be after high school. I chose to attend a small, liberal arts college because I loved Hackley’s close-knit community.

My decision to study English and Education in college was inspired by fond memories of sitting around the signature Hackley Harkness table with my English teacher and peers, poring over various texts and uncovering epiphanies about them together. I wanted to teach at a school where faculty were unequivocally devoted to their students and their growth, both in and out of the classroom. I also wanted to teach in a place where, in the words of Upper School Director Andy King, “it’s cool to be into school.”

As a young, aspiring teacher, I knew that I’d learn so much from my colleagues at Hackley, a brilliant group of faculty who constantly show me how I can be the best possible educator. In particular, I am so lucky to have beloved Hackley legend Jenny Leffler as my mentor teacher.

Jenny Leffler was my 11th grade English teacher and the dean for my grade during my time at Hackley. Getting to know her was easily one of the highlights of my Hackley student experience. Frankly, I could write a whole other Hackley Review article just about Jenny alone and how much she has (and continues to) inspired me. I am so very lucky that I get to learn from such a phenomenal teacher during my Teaching

Fellowship. Jenny sits in on all of my English 9 classes, and she is constantly offering me generous feedback on how to sharpen my lesson plans, assignments, and general identity as an educator. By collaborating with Jenny, I am able to start honing my educational philosophy, and learn what lesson plans and teaching approaches work best for Upper School English students.

I am so incredibly grateful to not only teach at a school that aligns so well with my educational values, but also at the school that helped shape me into the person that I am today. It feels very fitting that when I first arrived back to campus in July, Andy greeted me with a hug and a warm “Welcome home!”

So, to answer the question that has been so frequently posed to me—some aspects of returning to Hackley have been a bit funny, but I wouldn’t necessarily call it “weird.” For example, it took a surprisingly long amount of time for me to adjust to calling my former teachers by their first names (don’t ask me how long it took me to switch from “Doc Rob” and “Mr. Wirtz” to “Richard” and “Mike.”) It was also a bit surreal when I first got my desk in the English department office, in a room in which, as a student, I spent hours poring over texts and essays with my teachers. It was truly a “full circle” moment for me that cemented my role as an educator in a department that was so intellectually transformative and crucial for my younger self.

Returning to Hackley has been an immense honor and a privilege. Being here inspires me to show up as my best self, as I know that my students and colleagues deserve nothing less from me. My ninth grade students come into class every day bursting with ideas about what we’re reading, and can seamlessly make complex connections between the text and the world around them. It has been a lot of fun to introduce the ninth graders to close reading and hidden meanings in the text, and to help them gain the confidence to lead Harkness table discussions and search for all the richness that is lurking beneath the book’s surface. Even though I am technically their teacher, I find myself constantly learning from my students, who offer me a plethora of new, refreshing ways to look at the texts that I am teaching them.

Although I still have several months remaining in the Teaching Fellowship, my time at Hackley has confirmed that I do indeed wish to continue teaching as a full-time career after this year. No matter where I end up next year, I know that I will always carry all the lessons I learned from my Fellowship into my future.

About the Author

Christina Wang ’18 joined Hackley’s Teaching Fellowship in July 2022 and is currently an English and Creative Writing teacher in the Upper School. Prior to returning to the Hilltop, she studied English, Politics, and Education at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine.

By Greg Cice Chair of the Visual Arts Department and Upper School AP Art teacher 33