Exeter Honors Early Educators

Five former teachers of Exonians were recently recognized for their outstanding educational efforts and achievements. The Earlier Educator Program, which began in 2007, selects superlative teachers from a pool of applicants submitted by the students they used to teach. The honorees were invited to visit Exeter, and were welcomed to campus at Assembly by Principal Tom Hassan and presented with a monetary gift for their future educational pursuits.

This year, a committee of five faculty members and one student evaluated 18 essay-style applications before choosing the honorees.

"As we select people, we keep an eye on where the folks are from within the U.S. and abroad, and from what kind of schools (public or private) to achieve some kind of varied representation," committee member and admissions officer Lee Young said. "The top five were selected because of the compelling essay their former students wrote on their behalf. Some students provided funny stories or very moving explanations about how their earlier educator has been influential either in their love or learning or for making them a better person. I actually got choked up reading some of these very powerful essays."

The students worked to represent these influential mentors in their essays, hoping to have their former teachers selected and their skills rightfully appreciated.

"As I was writing the application, the only thing I hoped to do is give his teaching justice," upper Andrea Conde said. "I added as many details as I could because I wanted the selection committee to get a clear picture of who Mr. Edelman, my seventh and eighth grade math teacher, is. It is rare to find a teacher with such outstanding qualities in a public middle school, though I'm sure there are many more."

Many of the honorees helped their former students reach Exeter, even exposing them to the Academy’s teaching philosophy before they came to campus.

"Mr. Fantasia’s class was the closest experience I had to a Harkness conversation outside of Exeter," senior Sameer Panesar said. "He didn't stand at the front of the classroom and lecture to us. Rather, he engaged the students in a conversation. Mr. Fantasia taught me to think critically, and that learning is not a process of parroting back information to the teacher, realizations that have made my time at Exeter all the more fulfilling. Without my relationship with Mr. Fantasia, I don't think I would have been able to nurture my interest in history and politics as far as I have during my time at Exeter."

Senior Christina Beck would not be where she is today without a particular teacher. "My middle school, for the most part, held a pretty powerful yet subversive stigma against open display of intellect," Beck said. "By seventh grade, in an effort to avoid being taunted or humiliated, I tried to hide my intelligence. Mrs. Furlong noticed this and instead of merely validating my experience, she pushed me to challenge this stigma. Her encouragement, mentorship and incredible intellectual ability pushed me to advocate for myself; because of her leadership, I felt empowered to look at Exeter and seize opportunities that would help me reach my secondary school goals. Thanks to her, I thrived here."

Although the students have changed during their time at Exeter, and their relationships with their former teachers have evolved, the selections were still very meaningful to both the teachers and the students who nominated them.

Upper Elle MacAlpine nominated her sixth grade science teacher, River Bissonnette. She has kept in touch with Bissonette over the years, going back to visit her middle school, but was happy to introduce him to her life at Exeter.

"Now, he doesn't have all the answers, and I've surpassed his level in math and genetics. That makes it all the better, though," MacAlpine said. "Talking with him as an equal about different things I'm doing in my Bio 470 laboratory genetics class is so rewarding. He's always genuinely interested in what I'm doing, whether it be in science, history, or on the squash courts. I was so happy to share this day with him, and I think he's considering bringing some of Exeter's teaching techniques back to his own classroom."

Upper Leo Luo was excited to thank his eighth and ninth grade Latin teacher, Catherine Mori, for everything she has helped him with over the years.

"I owe a great deal to Mrs. Mori," Luo said. "But more importantly, I knew that Mrs. Mori was dedicated to giving her students the highest quality education. So I wanted her to see how one of the best high schools in the world teaches in order to give her inspiration to take back to her classroom."

The donations of an anonymous alumnus makes the Early Educator program possible, meant to publically thank teachers for making a difference in the lives of their students.

"One of the benefits of this program is for those hard working teachers to know what they do matters, and we hope that it will confirm and inspire them to keep doing what they're doing," Young continued. "This program might also make all students think about the value and influence of teachers and/or coaches in their lives, and that maybe they will take the time to thank them in some way."