NeW Teacher Feature
The watch staff sought out each of the new teachers in the Upper School to discover who they are outside the classroom. Mr. Christopher Greenwell History Teacher WATCHING: I watch very little TV. A Most Wanted Man, Philip Seymour Hoffman’s last film, was bittersweet both for subject matter and for the last gesture of an extraordinary actor; I was pleasantly surprised by Interstellar, which I also thought was more than competent. I am re-watching the new Cosmos series with Neil Degrasse Tyson—another reason to be thankful to Seth Macfarlane (of all people, he produced it). READING: I read little during the school year—I have plenty to digest with my students’ essays. I recently worked through all of Kafka, which impressed me less than it should have. Favorite books— impossible to say. I have always loved: Brothers Karamazov (Dostoevsky), Mother Night (Vonnegut), Black Snow (Bulgakov), Bridge of San Luis Ray (Wilder), but to name them is to betray other dear favorites. I am a devoted consumer of poetry, to say nothing of the great religious texts and their commentaries. FOOD: I put myself through graduate school here and in France as a sommelier/wine clerk. I taught myself to cook essentially to better understand wine. I do all of the cooking at home, mostly Southern American and French. However, I love to try to reproduce Indian dishes and I adore raw seafood (sashimi, tartare, ceviche). What would you being on a deserted island? The totality of Brahms string trios played by the Beaux Arts Trio (simple perfection, painfully so, for auditory consummation), my former beloved Ramirez guitar (far from perfection in my hands, painfully so, for aural humility), one of my Spyderco knives, the meditations of Marcus Aurelius (it contains most everything you will need which can be found in a book), Te Tao Ching of LaoTzu. I can always write in the sand and have it erased every high tide.
Ms. Samantha Fisk History Teacher WATCHING: I recently watched Interstellar and was intrigued by the manner in which the future and past were linked through the history of the Dust Bowl. READING: I really enjoy reading historical fiction novels such as The Book Thief. I found it interesting how the narrator of this story saw everything in different colors, which got me interested in the history of color; particularly, what do different colors symbolize throughout history and why. LISTENING: Currently my favorite podcasts are “Stuff You Missed In History Class” and “Radiolab.” These have such interesting insights and anecdotes on happenings throughout history. TRAVELLING: I love to travel and explore the great outdoors! I enjoy hiking and taking road trips throughout the United States to visit different historical sites such as Mount Rushmore and Independence Hall. Some of the places I have travelled internationally are Tonga, Fiji, the French Marquesas, Tahiti, New Zealand, Austrailia, and Europe. Most recently, I traveled to Japan to visit Tokyo and Kyoto. It was absolutely breathtaking being surrounded by centuries of history in Kyoto. One day, I would like to visit Machu Picchu. I would start my adventure by taking the Belmond Hiram Bingham train to Machu Picchu then hike back to Cusco.