People who chose this on purpose

Tomás Herrera

Chair of World Languages · Spanish & German, JK to Grade 12

At Marlowe since 2011

B.A. Universidad de los Andes; M.Ed. applied linguistics, Freie Universität Berlin

Born in Bogotá and trained in Berlin, Señor-slash-Herr Herrera built Marlowe's from-four language program and still teaches every band of it: JK puppet interrogations in the morning, Grade 12 literature seminar after lunch. He runs the Grade 8 letter exchanges with partner classrooms in both cities.

On a tour, ask about: why he teaches JK and Grade 12 on the same day, on purpose.

Ph.D. chemistry, with eight years in industrial materials research before teaching

Dr. Raman left a research lab because she kept catching herself explaining things to interns and enjoying it more than the work. She brought the lab's habits with her: error bars on everything, defended results, and the standing offer that any student who can design a safe experiment gets to run it.

On a tour, ask about: the Grade 7 creek dataset, now nine years long and truly useful.

B.Ed.; certified reading specialist (structured literacy)

Nineteen years in the same classroom, by choice. Mr. Webb is the reason half the Lower School reads before they realize reading was supposed to be hard. He is a structured-phonics purist with a puppet theatre, which is roughly Marlowe's whole philosophy in one person.

On a tour, ask about: his argument that recess is literacy instruction.

B.F.A. theatre production; ten years stage-managing regional theatre

Ms. Chen-Aldous runs Barton Hall like the professional house she came from: student crews own the board, the budget, and the consequences. Her non-negotiable is that every child stands on the Mainstage before Grade 6, because 'stage fright is easier to teach through at eight than eighteen.'

On a tour, ask about: the year the Grade 5s built a working rain machine.

B.Kin.; former national-team lightweight rower

Mr. Oyelaran holds two lines that sometimes annoy sports parents and always serve kids: no-cut teams through Grade 8, and the outdoor program is not optional. He has led the Grade 8 Ridge Hike twelve times and keeps the campus's best-worst weather forecasts.

On a tour, ask about: why the Ridge Hike packs are weighed twice.

M.A. higher education; former university admissions officer

Ms. Müller sat on the other side of the desk for nine years and came away convinced most college anxiety is manufactured. Her counselling load is capped near forty students so that every application list starts from the student's actual life. She is famously unimpressed by prestige for its own sake.

On a tour, ask about: her one-page 'is this list yours or your parents'?' worksheet.