Master of Arts in
Teaching Program (MAT)

Joshua Berkowitz is part of the Secondary-DeLeT Tanakh Concentation of the MAT. He grew up in Easton, MA and graduated cum laude from University of Massachusetts, Amherst with a BA in Classical Civilization and Linguistics. He is passionate about Judaism and Jewish pluralism and discovered his interest in education while teaching in a Reform supplementary school and highly diverse Solomon Schechter School in Northampton. Joshua is pursuing a teaching career through Secondary-DeLeT because he sees a need in the Jewish community to engage children in learning for understanding rather than rote memorization.

Sarah is part of the Secondary English concentration of the MAT. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Slippery Rock University. Sarah believes that education is the bridge from poverty into power and has long wanted to become an English teacher.

I am an aspiring author, amateur model, film creator and producer as well as actor, activist and nature lover. I am a volunteer writer for Khadarlis for Sierra Leone and work with Gua Africa as well. Beyond teaching high school English, I am interested in international educational efforts and global affairs.

Before coming to the MAT program, I attended the College of the Holy Cross as a Pre-Med/Classics major. I then moved on to receive my MA in Classics at Brandeis, with a focus on Latin and Greek as well as Ancient History. Being raised in a family of teachers, I have always wanted to teach, I just wasn't sure in what capacity. As a teaching assistant and writing tutor here at Brandeis I've really developed a love for working with my peers and helping them succeed. My hope is to bring that same passion to my future high school students in order to inspire them to succeed in the classroom. Having been a part of the Brandeis graduate community for a few years already, I know of the high reputation of the Education department and I'm looking forward to the new challenge of the MAT program.

I'm a recent graduate from Jackson State University where I received my B.A. in English. I'm very fond of poetry and literature, in particular the works of Miltion "Paradise Lost". I enjoy volunteer work and participating in community forums/ research about civil rights and human rights.

Where I'm From

I'm from enemies and friends, I'm from struggle and strength
I'm from fear and courage, I'm from tears and laughter
I'm from wrong and right, I'm from death and life
I'm from love and hate, I'm from doubt and faith
I'm from old and new, I'm from lies and truth
I'm from nightmares and dreams, I'm from war and peace

I'm from a purple paradise deep in my soul,
I'm from memories of lifetimes ago
I'm from the empty pockets of people who don't know their rich
I'm from the playground of kids who actually get to be "just kids"
I'm from patience and curiosity, from confidence and potential

I say where I'm from and now you have a sense of where I'm going,
Won't you come with me? Cause where I'm going.....
Together we have already been there.

Written by: Katurah "Kat" Hughes "Da Voice" July 18, 2012

Emily Einhorn received her Bachelor of Arts in Biology and Religion from Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT.  Over the past three years Emily has worked at the Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies at Brandeis University on a Jewish education database, JData.com.  During this time, she also worked with middle and high school students as a NFTY youth advisor at Temple Beth David in Westwood, MA.  Emily is originally from southern New Jersey and became interested in the role of religion in education during her four years at a Quaker high school. She is excited to teach science skills to middle school students at a Jewish day school and find ways to encourage a love of science at an early age. She hopes to be able to incorporate her interest in the intersection of religion and biology in her teaching.

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I grew up in San Bernardino, California. After graduating from high school, I attended Texas Christian University and received my Bachelors of Fine Arts in Theatre Performance.  My journey to becoming a teacher has been a long, varied one and I am very excited about my studies at Brandeis. My concentration in secondary education is English. I want to teach English because I believe that storytelling is powerful.  I hope to help the coming generations find an understanding and appreciation of that power. I want them to be able to use that appreciation to understand the world around them and to tell their own story.

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My name is Cynthia Massillon.  I will be graduating from Brandeis in fall 2011 with a major in Politics and minors in legal studies and education.  Education has always been a fundamental aspect of my life.  The importance of a “good” education is what led me to become a teacher.   My definition of a “good” education is one that provides every student with an equal opportunity to learn, think and create.  The importance of history in our everyday life is what I want my students to leave my classroom with.  The knowledge to synthesize today’s world with past events.

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I grew up in Burlington, VT and attended the College of Letters at Wesleyan University, a program that combines the study of literature, history and philosophy. Thanks in large part to the enormous influence my teachers had on me throughout school and college, by the time I graduated I had a pretty good idea that I wanted to teach. Exploring the profession took me to some interesting places, including the Rocky Mountains, where I taught US history as well as wilderness and backpacking skills, and the Republic of Georgia, where I taught English in a village school. Looking to settle down a bit, I decided to get a degree in teaching history, and was drawn to the Brandeis MAT because of its small size, academic rigor, and focus on social justice. I believe this program will help me to focus my passion for learning into the skills and strategies I will need to be a great teacher, one who will inspire my students to be creative thinkers and insightful citizens of the world.

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Shira Schwartzberg received a Bachelor of Arts in Informal Education from the University of Maryland. Upon graduating she taught health education and authored health curricula in Washignton, D.C. More recently, Shira taught math and language arts to middle and elementary students in Miami, FL. She is pursuing an MAT in secondary education with a concentration in history to guide students to think critically about the influence of  history in structuring modern society, thus better preparing them to be positive influences in their world.

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My name is Drew Smialek and I am in the MAT Secondary Education program with a concentration in English. I have spent most of my life in West Campton, New Hampshire and am excited for the new opportunities life in the Boston area will afford me. I am a recent graduate from the University of New Hampshire, from which I earned a B.A. in English. It was during my years as an undergraduate that I was first drawn towards the teaching profession. I am intrigued by the challenge it offers and look forward to working with students collaboratively in the classroom in advancing knowledge in reading and writing.

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Eve is working towards a MAT with a concentration in Secondary History Education.  She has been working in experiential education for the past three years and has taught high school history on a semester at sea program.  She also has served as an Americorps VISTA in a women's shelter and she is dedicated to expanding the role of community service in schools.  Eve holds a BA in History from Connecticut College.

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I grew up splitting my time between Washington D.C. and Maryland. After I graduated from High School, I enrolled at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts where I studied classics and philosophy. Concentrating primarily on ancient history and archaeology at Clark, I studied Latin briefly at the College of the Holy Cross and traveled abroad to Greece to study in Athens for 5 months. For the past two years I have studied at Brandeis University in the department of Classics, receiving a Master’s degree with an emphasis in classical languages in May 2011. I hope to now complete a Master’s degree in Teaching at Brandeis University in order to teach Middle and High School history. Aside from academic pursuits, I enjoy teaching boxing, singing with my band, playing one of my countless video games, and, of course, spending time with my friends in Boston proper.

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Howard Allen received a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering and a Master of Science degree in civil engineering from Tufts University.   In between these studies, he served in the United States Air Force, with assignments in Washington State, England, and Turkey.  He worked for over sixteen years in the environmental consulting industry, focusing on cleaning up properties contaminated with oil and hazardous materials. 

A native of Portsmouth, NH, he now lives with his wife and two sons in Norwood, MA.  Howie is an active member of Temple Beth David of Westwood, MA, where he serves on the Board of Trustees and on numerous committees.  He is looking forward to teaching in a Jewish Day School, where he can create a nurturing environment for students to discover and delve into the wonders of science in a Jewish atmosphere. 

 
Laura Himmelberger'11 is now teaching history at the Academy of Notre Dame.

I think the small size of the program is a huge attraction.  Being able to work with professors that really know you is extremely helpful when starting a new career. I enjoyed the variety of classes the program offers. I also had a fantastic cooperating teacher who really made my student teaching experience positive and enriching!!

I am most excited to build a relationship with students where they feel comfortable in my classroom and willing to take risks in their learning. I am also excited to pass along my enthusiasm for the subject I am teaching and hope they also find connections to their own lives. It is most important to always remind myself that I am making a difference in the world and contributing to society. By teaching, I am passing along knowledge to help students proceed in life, but I am also teaching them how to be good people. I think teaching is exciting because everyday presents new challenges, which is so much better than any other job I can think of.

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My name is Sara Marx. Deciding to become a teacher has been a lifelong process for me. As a young person, I loved school so much that I thought I wanted to become a teacher. I was always interested in political science and international relations, as well as learning about other peoples and cultures. After I completed a semester abroad in Dakar, Senegal, I knew I had a lot to share with young people and a unique perspective on the world. I began work as editor of a Jewish educational website for middle-schoolers, and through many school visits and teacher workshops, I knew I wanted to work in a classroom, in a school, with students. Being an educator is truly a calling for me and I am excited to work with young people in a subject area about which I am very passionate. As a teacher, I hope to help young adults ask important questions and feel empowered to positively change the world.

My name is Christina Sergi, and I am in the MAT for secondary school English. I double majored in English and American Literature and Creative Writing as an undergrad at Brandeis University. I hope to take my knowledge and interest in these subjects to help students learn new avenues of creativity, whether it be learning brilliant pieces of poetry, or analyzing many of the wonderful literary works of our past and present. I hope to bring my passion for creativity and exploration into the classroom, and more importantly into the lives of the students.

My name is Alan Tso, and I am in the MAT for secondary school biology. I was a biology major in undergrad with an interest in the fine arts. I'm always coming up with new art projects to tackle, from paintings to suits of armor. I hope that I can put my creativity to good use in making science more interesting. I want to teach students that science is a practical subject with applications throughout everyday life.

Jenna Fernandes ’08 entered the Secondary MAT – English, upon her graduation in 2007 from Brandeis, where she majored in English and American Literature and was Phi Beta Kappa. Jenna did her student teaching in the eighth grade at the Richard J. Murphy School, a Boston Public School with approximately 900 students. Jenna is now teaching in the sixth grade at Ottoson Middle School in Arlington, Mass. Jenna says:

"The Brandeis MAT program allowed me to investigate what was important to me as an educator. The program was small enough for me to receive the individual attention I needed to develop my thinking into the kind of practical philosophy that now informs my teaching. The relationships I formed with professors and colleagues remain the most valuable asset of the program in my mind. The community made it safe for me to take risks and try new things, and I know it will continue to be a source of innovative ideas, personal and professional support, and inspiration in the next stage of my career for years to come."

Beth Factor ’08 earned a BA with honors in History and Sociology/Anthropology from Denison University.  After working in business at a Development and Administrative Manager for several years, she enrolled in the Secondary MAT – History.  Beth did her internship at Newton South High School and is now teaching history, psychology, and law at Salem High School.

Shauna Antley Pellauer ‘08 graduated Summa cum Laude with a BA in English from Pomona College and earned a Master of Theological Studies at Harvard Divinity School before she entered the Brandeis Secondary MAT – English.  Shauna, who did her internship in the eighth grade at the Lawrence School in Brookline and is now teaching at Newton South High School, writes about the Brandeis MAT:  
    
Teaching isn't an art that we ever "master," but the Brandeis MAT program will support your professional and personal growth as you gain the skills to succeed in the classroom.  I benefited tremendously from a small learning community of passionate teachers-in-training and individual attention from advisors and professors.  I also appreciate the commitment Brandeis makes to caring for new teachers like me through the induction program.

Marianne Stabile '07 (Kohl Fellow, Cohort II) teaches 3rd grade at Rock Springs Elementary School in Lawrenceville, GA.  More than a third of her students are English Language Learners, making her glad she decided to do her MAT teacher research project on the varied opportunities formal and informal contexts in school afforded students for learning English as a new language.  She urges MAT's on the job market to consider teaching positions in the South.  She would be happy to talk with anyone interested in looking for a job in her area; she would also be happy to meet with anyone in her area who was considering the MAT program.

Marianne also serves as a mentor to high school students considering going into teaching.  At the close of her first post - MAT year of teaching she wrote:

So many of the things I learned in the MAT program are things I have directly applied in my real work as a teacher this year.  For example, my colleagues and administrators were impressed at my understanding of which interventions would be appropriate for helping my students with learning disabilities.  I had a student who had characteristics of Asperger's Syndrome, and I told my assistant principal some of the ideas I had learned for helping such a student.  She asked how I knew this and I told her about a paper I wrote for the special ed class on the subject.  She asked that I email her my paper because she wanted to learn more about interventions for children with Asperger's!  I've never heard of a first-year teacher who felt 100% prepared to go out on her own, but as my first year comes to an end, I can see that Brandeis gave me more than enough of the skills and knowledge I needed to thrive in my new position.

Update, April '09: Marianne writes that she is off on a new adventure next year. 

I took a job teaching 4th grade at the American International School of Abu Dhabi, which is near Dubai in the United Arab Emirates!  I am really excited.  It's a private school that serves a whole range of nationalities using the IB (International Baccalaureate) Primary Years Program, and - no NCLB!  I leave in August and can't wait.  Stop by and visit...

Read Marianne's blog about her new teaching adventure in Abu Dhabi at http://missmarista.wordpress.com

Katalin Wiggins ’08 (Kohl Fellow, Cohort III) teaches third grade at the Northeast Elementary School in Waltham. Reflecting on her experiences last spring, she wrote:

My undergraduate degree was in magazine journalism. Before entering the Brandeis Master of Art in Teaching: Public Elementary program, I was working as a layout artist and graphic designer for several publications. (Note: Katalin designed the image on the right side of this page.) I decided to become a teacher because I wanted to do something meaningful with my life and have a positive influence on future generations. I love being in the MAT program! Our cohort clicked right away, and working within such a small group allows for a comfortable and intimate learning environment. I enjoy learning to teach in an academic context that is so focused on developing independent-minded teachers. Also, the year-long internship in one classroom is an amazing experience that isn’t offered by most other teacher preparation programs.

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