Jane Berkowitz English Faculty Northwestern University, B.A. Harvard University, Ed.M. Interests: Playing tennis, traveling, reading non-school books, skateboarding (When I’m not too injured—it’s a recent hobby.)

The best thing about teaching at CSW is the students. As much as I hope they have learned in my classes, I have certainly learned so much from them. Their overall passion, unique perspectives and dedication to learning make my job that much easier. At the same time, it also pushes me to be more creative in the classroom, to honor their commitment to their studies by bringing my all to the particular course and the material, to shift and be flexible when they want to dig deeply into something unforeseen by me when planning the course, and to help them get the most out of each class.

I don’t think it is a coincidence that my favorite course is the one I’ve taught the most: Writing About Reading. In my four years at CSW, I’ve taught it five times, going on six this year. Teaching something more than twice gives you a level of comfort with the material and allows you to move on to looking at the skills you would like your students to gain after they leave your class. This is a required 10th grade course, and I just love working with sophomores. They are so open to new ideas and ways of thinking and learning, but have more experience to back it up. It is an amazing year of growth, and I feel so lucky to be part of that process. Not to mention that we read some pretty cool stuff in the class like "One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest" by Ken Kesey and the short story “Welcome to the Monkey House” by Kurt Vonnegut.

The best thing about CSW students is their sense of individuality and, at the same time, the understanding that they are important parts of a larger community. I love their personal stake in their education and the feeling that they can shape courses and curriculum just as much as the teachers or department chairs. While I’ve been teaching at CSW, I’ve had lot of time to reflect on my own high school experience and I’ve realized that it was a very passive four years for me whereas, at CSW, students are so active in their educational process. In the long run, I know this will make them better members of the world when they graduate.

A student project that really stands out in my mind is surprisingly not one for a class, but for a recent tribute to a honored teacher and administrator at CSW. A student created beautiful, life-sized Greek statues based on two myths that he had learned about in a class with that teacher, and I was just blown away that a teenager would take so much time and care and thought outside of class to painstakingly craft something to honor his teacher. It showed me that for so many kids at CSW, learning does not stop once the class stops, or once the clock strikes 4:15.