Second "Career" — A "Reformed Lawyer" & Teacher

Spending time in Boston middle schools, seeing the way that kids were struggling with math and science, and finding out that I could help them succeed academically, led me to a mid-career change. While still practicing law, I passed the Massachusetts Test for Educator Licensure in Middle School Mathematics and after some searching found a school that was willing to take on, as a student math teacher, an ex-lawyer with no formal background in education.

Tutoring

I started student teaching in the Fall of 2006, working with a student body that is 93% African-American and Latino and three-quarters low-income. After one semester I had my own classroom, teaching 8th Grade Algebra as well as co-teaching 6th Grade math classes. I learned just how difficult and exhausting teaching can be, and have now established an arrangement where I volunteer three days a week, working in one 7th Grade, two 8th Grade, and two 9th Grade math classes as a co-teacher focusing on kids who are struggling with math, and then tutoring at the end of the day. I’ve also used my legal training as 12th Grade moot court coach. I am committed to seeing that the achievement gap is closed; we must raise expectations for all students.

I was extremely touched to receive an award from the students for demonstrating “compassion to an uncommon degree” in the teaching and tutoring work that I am doing.