The Spectator ● October 17, 2013
Page 4
Features Victor Greez, History Teacher Favorite Book: “The Magus” by John Fowles. The 685-page book was “so, so compelling” when he read it during his travels in Europe. Greez says that the book is a mystery and fantasy story surrounding a young man who’s drawn into a world of “Greek Gods, torrid love and former Nazis,” and what could get better than that? But the page amount, he says, might deter Stuyvesant students from reading it. He also recommends “Middlesex” by Jeffrey Eugenides to students.
Michelle Lin/ The Spectator
Favorite Movie: “The Graduate.” “It is the heydey of film before the big blockbusters. It’s got a killer soundtrack (Simon and Garfunkel),” Greez said. “It’s the classic story of coming of age, of not-fitting-in with a twist.” Greez also enjoys modern films like “Into the Wild.” Favorite Song: “Positively 4th Street” by Bob Dylan. “[Bob Dylan] can’t sing too well,” Greez said. “[But] when I first heard it, it spoke to me. Dylan is such a poet.” His favorite line is “I wish for one moment you could step in my shoes so you would know what a drag it is to see you.” Though the music is “pretty basic, [...] it’s got a message.”
Samuel Konstantinovich, Computer Science Teacher Favorite Book: “The Hogfather” by Terry Pratchett, a book that focuses on an assassin assigned to kill the Hogfather. “[The Hogfather is] a fat jolly porcine fellow in a red suit, who gives presents to children on Hogswatch eve. Pratchett made clear an overarching theme that resulted in some profound epiphany near the end of every book,” he said. Konstantinovich thinks “The Hogfather” is good for “anyone that would appreciate a witty fantasy satire, with strong character development.”
Laura Eng / The Spectator
Favorite Movie: “The 5th Element.” “[It is a] great mix of action/comedy/sci-fi…[It’s a “starstudded movie with prominent cast members including Bruce Willis, Milla Jovovich, Gary Oldman, and Chris Tucker.” Konstantinovich’s favorite part would be when the aria ‘Lucia di Lammermoor’ is sung by a blue alien, who then starts singing a more modern song that is “humanly impossible to sing.” Favorite Artist: Danny Elfman. Having first heard Elfman’s compositions as the Beetlejuice theme back in 1990, Konstantinovich instantly became a fan. Elfman has composed for plenty of movies, including Tim Burton movies. “When you listen to a movie soundtrack, the music is enhanced by the emotions your memories of the movies evoke,” Konstantinovich said.
So You Think You Know Your Teachers? By Laureen Chan and Erica Chio
Emily Moore, English Teacher Favorite Writers: English teacher Emily Moore couldn’t decide on a favorite book, so she offered a whole list of authors—Toni Morrison, Jane Austen, Louise Erdrich, Junot Diaz, Sherman Alexie, Virginia Woolf, Amy Tan, and Jumpah Lahiri—and poets—Robert Frost, Emily Dickinson, and Mojah Kahf. “I’ve taught many of [them],” she said. “But there are actually some books that are so close to my heart that I think I’d have trouble teaching them.” Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” happens to be one of her favorite books to teach, “especially the proposal scene (of course),” Dr. Moore said. Favorite Movie: “I love movies inspired by Jane Austen,” Dr. Moore said. “In high school, my friends and I must have watched ‘When Harry Met Sally’ a hundred times,” adding that the hilarious interviews about marriage with real couples were her favorite parts. Favorite Song: “The Grass is Blue” by Dolly Parton. This was the first song that came to mind when asked, but Dr. Moore “loves anything by Dolly Parton.” In addition, Parton’s songs provide the inspiration for the songs Moore writes for her own band, “Ménage À Twang.”
Michelle Lin/ The Spectator
Michele Lin/ The Spectator
Sure, we spend an overwhelming amount of time with our teachers at Stuyvesant—that’s around 40 minutes a day and five days a week, not even counting the times we see them outside of class. With all this time, we’d think we know them pretty well. But do we really? Do we even know what their favorite books, movies, or songs are?
Emilio Nieves, English Teacher Favorite Book: “Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger. “It’s about society, values, and what people value,” Nieves said. “I teach it every year, so saying I read it more than 30 times—that wouldn’t be a lie.” His favorite part: “The 1950s slang,” he said. “I really get into that part of the book.” Favorite Movie(s): “The Breakfast Club.” “I think it does a good job of showing the problems students have socially in high school and growing up,” Nieves said. “All the President’s Men.” “[All the President’s Men] teaches you all you need to know about the Watergate [scandal] and it is also a great movie to learn all the aspects of journalism, such as how to write stories and interview people,” he said. Favorite Artist: REM. “There was a song called ‘Stand.’ I don’t know if it was a number one song, but it was a hit at the time,” Nieves said. “Some of [REM’s lyrics are] poetic, but [they’re] cryptic too, so I think it would be interesting if you’re into words and lyrics.”