Manhattan School for Children Newsletter September, 1999

Nance (Wanchock) Jones - Second Grade: Hi! I'm back! As many of you know, I was away on maternity leave last year. My husband, Roland and I spent the year caring for and "googling" over our lively, loving little baby girl. Her name is Katherine and now she's fourteen months old. Katherine and I spent most of our time in the Parks and museums. It's been fun discovering all the fabulous resources our city has to offer families. I have a new appreciation for our city and can't wait to get our second graders out on trips to rediscover and explore our community.

This is my fourth year teaching second grade at MSC. Previous to my MSC experience I was an assistant teacher at the Churchill School and had my own tutoring practice.

Susannah Burkhart - Second Grade: I am a new Second Grade Teacher. I am originally from the Washington, DC area (yes, my father was a government employee). I have been living in New York, on the Upper West Side, for about seven years. I ran (jogged) the NYC Marathon in 1995; I got married in May of 1998; La Rosita is a favorite for breakfast; I love Starbuck's coffee (even though they aren't a nice company and it costs $3 for a cup of coffee); I love a good mystery; and if I had a car its bumper sticker would say "I'd rather be at the beach!"

My undergraduate degree is in Psychology and I have a Master's Degree in Education from the Bank Street College of Education. I have taught for two years in preschool settings, assisted in Special Education grades one-three, and student taught in kindergarten, first grade, fourth & fifth grades mixed. For the last four years I have been teaching Second Grade at P.S. 23 in the Bronx. I am excited to be part of the Manhattan School for Children and I look forward to a great year.

Julie Broderick - Third Grade: Hello to all of the families at the Manhattan School for Children! I'm very excited to be joining the MSC family this year as a third grade teacher in Room 310.
I've been working in the field of education for the past seven years. The majority of that time was spent teaching in District 6 in Washington Heights and Inwood. I have taught first, second, and third grade in monolingual, bilingual, and Spanish/English dual language programs. I also spent one year working as the Program Director of Jumpstart, a non-profit organization that recruits and trains college students to work with preschool children as literacy mentors in Head Start programs throughout the city.

My undergraduate degree is from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, and my master's degree is from Georgetown University. Originally from Virginia Beach, I come from a family of teachers. Because of the incredible role models my parents have been as teachers and because of the public school education I received as a child, I am strongly committed to elevating the quality and status of public school education in New York City and throughout our country.

In my free time, I am an avid reader of Latin American literature. I enjoy traveling, teaching Spanish to children and adults, taking dance classes, and appreciating all of the great culture here in New York. I look forward to a wonderful year together working with many of your children!

Wendy Smith -Third Grade: It's great to be back at MSC for my third year. This is my first time teaching third grade here, though I had taught third grade for three years at the Roberto Clemente School in East Harlem and for a few years at Berkeley Carroll in Park Slope.

I knew I wanted to be a teacher since I was in third grade and have enjoyed the past 22 years teaching in public and private schools. I grew up in Pennsylvania and have been living in New York for fifteen years. I taught nursery at a private French-American school, first and third grades at Berkeley Carroll, a first and second primary class in Philadelphia, then back here to public schools in NYC. I have also been a camp counselor at the Educational Alliance and at Berkeley Carroll and taught drama.

I received my undergraduate degree at Millersville State University in Early Childhood, have a Masters in Science from Hunter College in Guidance and Counseling and have done graduate work at Bank Street, Teacher's College, Fordham and St. Joseph's in Philadelphia.

My husband and I visit the south of France in the summer. I enjoy swimming and playing tennis, seeing movies and going to museums. I also love to cook and read. I am looking forward to another wonderful year here at MSC!

Nicholas Bleiberg - Fourth Grade: I am a native of New York City. I graduated from the Fieldston School in the Bronx and from Oberlin College in the Second Best State, Ohio. I am currently enrolled in a graduate program at Bank Street College of Education, where I am working toward (soon!) a Master's Degree in Early Childhood/Special Education. I have taught pre-K, third Grade and fourth Grade at the Brearley School, Grace Church School and most recently at the Calhoun School.

My grandparents are very pleased that I am a teacher. During the summer I am a camp director at the 92nd Street Y. I am an avid reader, writer, movie watcher, biker (the kind without the motor) and basketball player. I am extremely excited to be a part of the MSC community and look forward to this year's adventure in the fourth grade.

Isaac Brooks - Fourth Grade: I come to MSC after teaching for over five years in a variety of elementary schools. I have taught in Greenwich, Connecticut; Tenafly, New Jersey and most recently, Hunter College Elementary School for the Gifted in New York City. A former advertising executive, I was accepted to Teachers College and haven't looked back since. I spent two years researching ways to teach poetry throughout the day with poet Georgia Heard as part of the Leadership Project on Reading and Writing at TC. I am currently developing a new way to teach social history through role-play. I am married to Della, a high school history teacher, and have a son, Dylan, in the sixth grade, and a daughter, Phoebe, in third. A year ago, my family and I spent a month in China and this past summer I participated in the Lincoln Center Institute. I am really excited to be part of the MSC Community.