During free-write sessions in English teacher Jonathan Weil’s Creative Nonfiction class, you’ll find not only the students writing, but the teacher as well. For eight years, Weil has been enthralling students with his passion and energy in the classroom.
Weil has always loved literature, but his original plan was a little different. Growing up in suburban Connecticut and listening to KISS and the Beatles, Weil dreamed of becoming a rock star. He played the piano and saxophone, sang and taught himself how to play the guitar.
Even though he pursued a more realistic career, Weil’s love of music persists. “I was obsessed with listening to music, and I still am,” he said. Now, he often reads music reviews online to discover new artists. Some of his current interests include Iron and Wine, Thelonius Monk, Hold Steady and Caribou.
Weil attended Wesleyan University, majoring in English with a minor in Economics. After graduation, his first action was to leave Connecticut. His destination? New York City.Once in New York, Weil worked as a traveling salesman for publishing companies. He would go to bookstores and distributors and try to convince them to buy a certain book. He worked for four different publishing houses over eight years: John Wiley & Sons, Simon & Schuster, St. Martin’s Press and Henry Holt.
During his stint in publishing, Weil also worked in an Upper West Side bookstore, where met his wife, a co-worker. “We were both shelving books in the astrology section, and discovered that we were both Scorpios,” Weil said. In fact, both had the same birthday. “She didn’t believe me and I had to show her my driver’s license. That was our first conversation,” he said.
As he spent more time in the publishing business, Weil became more and more dissatisfied. “Publishing is less about the love of literature, and more of a business,” he said. “The books on the front table in Barnes & Noble are there because someone paid a lot of money for them to be there, not necessarily because they’re good.”But Weil missed talking to people about books. “I had fewer and fewer chances to talk about what I loved,” he said. He decided to try his hand at teaching, attending Teachers College at Columbia University.
Weil’s first teaching job was at Banana Kelly, a small progressive school in the South Bronx. The school, with about 150 students and 15 faculty members, served students who were immigrants or had problems in larger schools.
Weil taught English and American History, though teaching history was a scary experience since he was not trained to do so. The small faculty made it difficult for Weil, as a new and only English teacher at the school, to receive guidance. When he heard the principal, whom he admired greatly, was going to switch schools, Weil decided to search for another job.
He did not plan on teaching at Stuyvesant. However, after talking with then Assistant Principal of English Stephen Shapiro, he agreed to take the job.
Weil’s love of literature translates well to a classroom environment, where his passion for a book often inspires students to feel the same. “He is a great teacher because he gets you in a comfortable state to write and there is such freedom in the class. He makes it be known that you can write about anything you want, even the ‘forbidden’ topics,” junior Dionicio Herrera said.
“I love having conversations about literature and writing,” Weil said. “I always try to figure out how to get students engaged and excited, because I don’t want class to be me having a conversation with myself or with just one or two people.
”He feels best as a teacher when the entire class becomes involved in a discussion, calling on each other and analyzing literature almost independently of his guidance. But he also believes it is important to maintain an appropriate balance between the times students control the class and when he does.
Outside of school, Weil’s interests include reading and watching the Yankees play. He also dabbles in photography and drawing. “My wife is a yoga instructor, and I take her class every Thursday night,” he said. He considers it a great way to relieve the stress from his week. He also loves to swim and, along with other teachers, swims in the Stuyvesant pool before school starts. He also loves his dog Jasper, a rescued mutt he and his wife have owned for nine-and-a-half years.
In addition, Weil performs several important duties around the school. “He is very involved in helping students outside the classroom,” said Assistant Principal English Eric Grossman. Some of Weil’s interests include working with the Big Sibs, Building Stuy Community and helping seniors with college.
The zeal Weil displays in his desire to better the Stuyvesant community and to really help his students learn demonstrates his true strength as a teacher. Said Grossman, “He really cares about the kids.”