With the plethora of new teachers that arrived at Flintridge Prep this year, it’s no wonder that students are excited to learn more about them. New teachers mean new activities, new teaching styles, and new additions to our community. I interviewed all of the new teachers in the English Department to learn more about who they are.

I first spoke to Ms. Reddy, who was drawn to Prep because of its emphasis on community and connection, which she believed created a special learning environment. She expounded upon her love for the students’ curiosity, open-mindedness, and willingness to take on any challenge, whether it be academic, social, or through BRIDGE, which she advises. She admired her students’ empathetic investment in the characters’ fates and humanity when they read Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go, and she loved the students’ strong ideas and judgments of Pride and Prejudice as a period novel. Moving forward, Ms. Reddy is eager to see her AP Literature students play the roles in Macbeth and witness how they will be impacted by the themes in Beloved. With regards to her 9th grade students, she is fond of their energy and enthusiasm for class, describing her teaching style as collaboration and discussion-based. These are learning experiences that are essential for students, whether they be in 9th grade English or AP Literature. Finally, when asked what she wanted her students to take away from her class, she declared that they should learn to have distinct, authentic voices and that their voices are worth sharing with the world.

Additionally, I spoke with Mr. Greene, who grew up nearby and whose brother went to Prep. He loved Prep’s philosophy of the “Portrait of a Wolf” as well as Prep’s holistic approach to education that not only focuses on the academic aspect but also the physical and emotional wellbeing of the students. He recalled that during his campus interview, the welcoming and warm atmosphere of the people he met made Prep feel “too good to be true”. Furthermore, he loves sitting in front of the library, eating lunch, and interacting with people because he came from teaching college, where people don’t get to simply enjoy each other’s company. Similar to the sentiments expressed by Ms. Reddy, Mr. Greene is also excited to teach Macbeth, during which he will try to make students feel at home in the classroom while cultivating enthusiasm for reading and writing. He hopes that his students will take away the idea that the more time they spend with the material, be it literature or writing, the more they will gain from it.

In essence, Ms. Reddy and Mr. Greene both bring fresh new perspectives that are insightful and add depth to our learning, which is especially important in their English classes. Overall, they were delightful interviews, and both teachers are amazing additions to our community. This influx of new teachers is exactly what makes the Prep ecosystem more vibrant and multidimensional.