It is every teacher’s dream to teach a city’s best and brightest students. When Stuyvesant had openings for teaching positions over the summer, only 14 out of many qualified applicants made the cut. These fresh faces of Stuy were drawn to the school for various reasons, but all have one thing in common—a genuine passion for teaching.
Name: Jee Paik
Subject: Regents Chemistry
Teaching Experience: This is her first year teaching. Over the summer, she was a student teacher at Thurgood Marshall Academy-Lower School and The School of the Future.
Previous School: The School of the Future
Favorite Topic: Endothermic and exothermic reactions
Largest Challenge about Teaching at Stuy: None
Favorite Thing About Stuy: “The students do their work and do it well. The staff is so helpful and supportive, especially the lab techs,” she said.
Hobbies: Traveling and watching movies
Name: Vasken Choubaralian
Subject: Physical Education
Teaching Experience: This is his first year teaching
Previous School: None
Favorite Topic: Square dancing
Largest Challenge about Teaching at Stuy: The intensity of the student body—“At first, it was a little intimidating,” he said.
Favorite Thing About Stuy: Watching his students learn and improve over time
Hobbies: Wrestling, handball, volleyball, skydiving and mechanics
Name: Manuel Simon
Subject: Second and third year Spanish
Teaching Experience: Taught at Brooklyn College, Canarsie High School and the Abraham Lincoln High School
Previous School: Lafayette High School
Favorite Topic: Teaching present tense and the first year curriculum
Largest Challenge about Teaching at Stuy: Teaching students so that they grow more
Favorite Thing about Stuy: “It’s a pleasure being here in all aspects,” he said.
Hobbies: Watching wrestling, swimming, playing basketball and traveling
Name: Jeffrey Kivi
Subject: Regents Chemistry
Teaching Experience: Taught at the Science Skills Center High School for a year
Previous School: Science Skills Center High School
Favorite Topic: Nuclear chemistry
Largest Challenge about Teaching at Stuy: “I have to adjust to different target audiences,” he said.
Favorite Thing About Stuy: Everything
Hobbies: Watching football, especially teams from his home state, Wisconsin
Name: Neil Wang
Subject: Regents Physics
Teaching Experience: Taught at Murry Bergtraum High School for 12 years
Previous School: Murry Bergtraum High School
Favorite Topic: Particle physics
Largest Challenge about Teaching at Stuy: “I have to modify my style to fit the pace of the students. After a year, it will be easier because I’ve adjusted,” said Wang.
Favorite Thing about Stuy: “Stuyvesant is very different from my old school. The students here have a very clear mind for their future,” said Wang.
Hobbies: Swimming, cross country skiing and traveling
Name: Hemal Pathak
Subject: Regents Living Environment
Teaching Experience: Taught grad students at the University of Pennsylvania for two years and was a student teacher at George Washington High School and I.S.171 Abraham Lincoln School over the summer
Previous School: I.S.171 Abraham Lincoln School
Favorite Topic: “Anything involved with the brain,” Pathak said.
Largest Challenge about Teaching at Stuy: “Trying to figure out what the students need to know and trying to figure out how to fit all that information in a limited amount of time,” he said.
Favorite Thing About Stuy: “Students are really committed to learning and doing well in school,” he said.
Hobbies: Learning to play the piano
Name: Linda Weissman
Subject: U.S. Government and AP American History
Teaching Experience: Has been teaching for 20 years and taught at The Bronx High School of Science
Previous School: Midwood High School
Favorite Topic: Government and Supreme Court Cases
Largest Challenge about Teaching at Stuy: Collecting and marking homework in time to redistribute them on a daily basis, and preparing for each lesson. “The lessons I do are geared specifically for my classes,” said Weissman.
Favorite Thing about Stuy: The students, facilities and colleagues. She feels the students are involved, articulate and participative. “I love what I do,” said Weissman, “It’s very rewarding,” said Weissman.
Hobbies: Running and dance classes—particularly Salsa
Name: Kristyn Pluchino
Subject: Regents Chemistry
Teaching Experience: Taught chemical warfare at the United States Air Force for about a year before joining the public school system—this is her second full year of teaching
Previous School: The Renaissance Charter School
Favorite Topic: Nuclear chemistry
Largest Challenge about Teaching at Stuy: “There are some kids who already know the subject. [That] definitely makes my job tougher,” she said, because she wants to challenge all of her students.
Favorite Thing About Stuy: “It’s nice to be around students who want to learn and are respectful. They are so attentive and the administration is so supportive. I absolutely love it here,” she said.
Hobbies: Playing basketball
Name: Dr. Jamal Ali
Subject: Regents Physics and Engineering Mechanics
Teaching Experience: Taught at four city universities—Borough of Manhattan Community College, Bronx Community College, Hostos Community College and City College of New York—for nine years
Previous School: The Queens Prep Academy
Favorite Topic: Photonics— the science of generating, controlling, and detecting photons— and holds 14 publications and three patents on the topic
Largest Challenge about Teaching at Stuy: Writing lesson plans that challenge the students and ultimately improve their performances
Favorite Thing About Stuy: “So far I love everything about it. The students here are great students,” he said.
Hobbies: Reading, playing soccer and watching sports
Name: Brendan Quest
Subject: Physical Education
Teaching Experience: This is his first year teaching
Previous School: None
Favorite Topic: Volleyball
Largest Challenge about Teaching at Stuy: Teaching dance classes because he has little experience in this area.
Favorite Thing about Stuy: The positive attitude of students. “All the students are cooperative and eager to learn,” said Quest.
Hobbies: Swimming, running, cycling and training for triathlons
Name: Shangaza George
Subject: Regents Biology
Teaching Experience: Has been teaching for five years
Previous School: Declined to comment
Favorite Topic: Cellular respiration
Largest Challenge about Teaching at Stuy: “Grading [the students’] homework,” she said.
Favorite Thing About Stuy: “The students are nice,” she said.
Hobbies: Traveling
Name: Daniel Pilloff
Subject: Regents Living Environment
Teaching Experience: Taught for two years at the Long Island School for the Gifted and one semester of enzyme kinetics at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine—this is his first year teaching at a public high school.
Previous School: Long Island School for the Gifted
Favorite Topic: Protein synthesis and trafficking pathway
Largest Challenge about Teaching at Stuy: “Being a new teacher”
Name: Jon-Alf Dyrland-Weaver
Subject: Introduction to Computer Science and Advanced Placement (AP) Computer Science
Teaching Experience: Taught at Brandeis High School for two years
Previous School: Brandeis High School
Favorite Topic: Emergent behavior—“seeing what unknown group behaviors that would come out of individual behavior patterns,” he said.
