[Sponsored] Ask any BASIS Independent Brooklyn student what makes their school different and they will tell you, “the teachers.” The foundation of our culture and the success of our students lies in the hands of our teachers.
When subject experts are trained to teach content that interests, and even inspires them, paired with courses that challenge students, then what we have is learning through a very different lens,” said Jesse Rizzo former Director of Academic Programs at BASIS Independent Brooklyn and newly appointed Head of School, BASIS Independent Manhattan.
Teachers are crucial to the curriculum, so much so that we implemented a two-teacher model. In Kindergarten through Grade 4, we have two teachers in each classroom working together to find the best ways to deliver lessons and ensure student engagement: a Subject Expert Teacher (SET) and a Learning Expert Teacher (LET). LETs are skilled and experienced in teaching methods for the primary grades, and they remain with their group of students all day, rotating with them from subject to subject.
SETs are educators with academic degrees in the disciplines they teach, whether music, math or Mandarin. They have a passion for their subjects that no teacher training can provide. While many have been teaching for years in college preparatory or university settings, some are just leaping into a new career, leaving a research lab or the corporate world to share their applied knowledge with BASIS Independent students.
“I realized that my fate was to become a Music teacher after I taught my first Bach Cantata (BWV 17) when I was in graduate school,” said Dr. Laura Inman, Music Subject Expert at BASIS Independent Brooklyn. “I had been performing a lot as a solo singer, but I couldn’t shake the feeling I had when my students were able to play Bach and sing with so much passion and love. Teaching can be tough and challenging, but the satisfaction in knowing that I have planted inspiration and knowledge in others is worth it.”
Find out more about our knowledgeable, passionate teachers at BASIS Independent Brooklyn and Manhattan or see for yourself at our November 5th Open House. Register today.
This series is brought to you by BASIS Independent as a sponsored series for A Child Grows in Brooklyn. Read their previous posts on ‘Learning to Love Science’ and ‘Where the Arts Flourish.’