HISTORY DEPT CHAIR AT TABOR ACADEMY, MA

Anne is the History Department Chair at Tabor Academy, the School by the Sea. She has taught the full range of high school history classes, including Maritime History: Age of Sail. Anne lives up the road from New Bedford at a school originally funded through speculation in the whaling industry. This is her first NEH program, and she is looking forward to it!

EL TEACHER

I LOVE the outdoors, and nature. Being around water is like nourishment to my soul. The ocean is my favorite body of water. I hang out on lakes, whenever I can in the summer, with a boat I share with my daughter. I like to swim, fish, hike, bike, read, and watch movies. I have been working with EL students since my first sub assignment in an EL classroom in 2009. I knew at that moment I wanted to work with the population of students that had another language, besides English, as their first language. I work as an EL Teacher now in high school. I continue to practice my philosophy that was developed in my undergrad Culture and Education class - The Whole Person.

MIDDLEBORO ELA TEACHER

Middleborough High School ELA Teacher; lifelong New Bedford resident; father of an active 3 year old boy; 10 tattoos (including a passage from Moby-Dick); loves cooking and anything comic book related (Marvel over DC, but Batman rules all); enjoys watching Bob Ross and MST3K reruns.

ENGLISH TEACHER AT BOSTON COLLEGE HIGH

I plan to teach Moby-Dick next year as part of a revamped AP Lit (junior year) course at my school. In years past I’ve read the novel with senior classes with varying degrees of success; holding the attention of seniors beyond college application deadlines presents challenges to maintaining interest in Ishmael’s narrative and the Pequod’s journey. I’m deeply interested in Melville’s prescience related to issues so critical to his own time, and ours: the fate of America and democracy; critiques of prevailing customs and beliefs; ecology and environmental issues; gender and queer studies; the future of whales, and humans, on this planet.

TEACHER AND POET

Seth is the author of two books of poems: Confidence (2015) and Sign You Were Mistaken (2013). He also occasionally writes about basketball and movies. He is a co-host and producer of The Dungeon (a podcast about movies) and All Our Pretty Songs (a podcast about 90s rock music). He has spent much of the past 20 years reading and re-reading Moby Dick, and has spent time leading reading groups on the text and (for a brief period a few years ago) giving tours at Arrowhead.

HISTORY TEACHER

History teacher at Harrisonburg High School in Virginia. Dad, farmer, bibliophile.

CONTINUING ED TEACHER

I am a teaching at a Los Angeles based adult continuation high school specializing in recently incarcerated adults. Though my credential is in English, I teach all core subjects in order to help my students attain their GEDs and High School Diplomas. I have been teaching since 2008 and am excited to bring new experiences to my students when I can. I also bring my therapy dog, Muffin, to class to help with socioemotional learning.

ENGLISH TEACHER

I teach upper school English at an independent school in New York City and before that did the same in Washington DC. I am a lapsed academic who never finished her dissertation (on Melville!). I teach Moby-Dick every year and look forward to refreshing my approach based on what I learn in this institute.

ENGLISH TEACHER

I studied at Boston College and St. John’s College in Annapolis. Before settling in DC, where I’ve been for 7 years, I had spent parts of my adult life in Massachusetts, Germany, and the Twin Cities. Initially I taught Theology at a Catholic high school in our nation’s capital, and for the past 3 years I have taught English at the same school. My first encounter with Melville was during a lecture on Moby Dick from my sophomore English teacher in high school; we had only read a few short selections, but his analysis of the novel stuck with me. I later read the novel in its entirety in college and once again a few years after graduation – and I’m thrilled to do so again with this Institute.

ENGLISH TEACHER AT COLLEGE PREPARATORY SCHOOL

I grew up in Southern California, went to UCLA (BA in Psychology), and did my graduate work at UC Berkeley (PhD in English). I started teaching Moby-Dick soon after joining the faculty at College Prep (eleven years ago now), and before that taught at Piedmont High School for nearly a decade. I trained as an Americanist at UC Berkeley and began my teaching career as a member of the faculty at Ohio Wesleyan University. My wife also teaches high school English, and we have two whip-smart & hilarious kids, Miriam (22) and Noah (16).

ENGLISH TEACHER

Dr. Rabiah Khalil has been an educator for over 15 years; she is currently an Upper School English teacher at Roland Park Country School where she instructs an array of courses including Linguistics, Caribbean Literature, and Power Structures, respectively, in addition to two sections of English 9 and one section of English 11. She considers herself a career dilettante and loves most of all to hear interesting stories.

7TH-8TH GRADE SCIENCE TEACHER

My favorite subject to teach is natural science, especially when it comes to the ocean and I love taking my students on field trips to witness nature first hand. One of the most memorable teaching moments was sailing on a boat with my students and watching breaching grey whales and spotting marine mammals in the San Francisco Bay. I am excited to learn more about the science of whaling in Melville’s world and bring a new perspective to my own teaching style.

ENGLISH DEPT CHAIR

I serve as the English Department Chair at Convent of the Sacred Heart in New York City, where I’ve taught high school English for fifteen years. I grew up in the mountains of Virginia, but I confess that New England feels most like home. Before moving to New York, I taught at the Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, Connecticut–at the southern tip of the Berkshires–and the New Hampton School in central New Hampshire. I am an avid climber, mountaineer, triathlete, and music lover, as well as an inveterate agonizer over the text lists for my courses. I live in Astoria with my partner Amanda and our dog Joni.

ENGLISH TEACHER

I have taught high school English for twenty-five years starting my journey in Wakefiled, RI, then traveling to Anchorage, AK and Dallas, TX before finally landing in Northern Virginia. For the past 10 years, I have taught at an all-girls independent school in Northern Virginia. Although my education is in the great books, and I have studied Moby Dick several times, I have only just begun the complex calling of trying to teach Moby Dick to modern teenage girls. As a New Englander born and raised in Plymouth, MA, studying Moby Dick with you all is an exciting opportunity to explore my roots, while also expanding my academic understanding with such wise professors.

LITERATURE TEACHER AT BOSTON DAY AND EVENINGS

Prior to BDEA, Akshata completed her practicum with the Sheltered English Immersion team at Charlestown High School and worked as part of the School-Community Partnerships team at Boston Public Schools, and at Boston Arts Academy. She is licensed in English Language Arts and English as a Second Language. Akshata received her B.A. from Harvard College in History and Literature where she wrote her thesis on the Black Arts Movement, and her M.Ed from University of Massachusetts Boston with the Teach Next Year program.

PROFESSIONAL WRITING TEACHER

Jessica attended California State University Fullerton from 1996-1997, and earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in History from UMass Boston in 2000. She then went on to earn her Master’s Degree in Professional Writing from UMass Dartmouth in 2007. In her fourteen years of secondary teaching experience, Jessica has grown to love project-based learning, and has continued to develop her skills in Instructional Technology. She is a Level 2 Certified Google Educator, and plans to begin working on advanced graduate study in Educational Leadership in the near future. She is the proud mother of 2 girls, Rowan and Harper, and the proud-stepmother of 3 boys, Christopher, Matthew, and Zachary.

7-12 GRADE SCIENCE TEACHER

Spencer Cody currently at Edmunds Central School District in Roscoe, SD, and lives with his wife, Jill, and two daughters Teagan and Temperance in Mina, SD. In 2005, he graduated from Concordia College in Moorhead, MN, with a BA in Biology Middle School and Secondary Education. He went on to teach 7-12 Science in Hoven, SD, for the next 11 years. During this time he earned an MS in Chemistry from SDSU in Brookings, SD, in 2010. When he is not teaching science, he is always learning and researching science because he is fortunate enough to teach something that he is very passionate about. He looks forward toward ways to incorporate Melville’s insights into science curriculum and the remarkable learning opportunity that the Moby Dick World of Whaling Institute presents.

AP SCIENCE TEACHER

I grew up in Cambridge, MA and attended Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, where I have now taught for over 20 years. Before embarking on my teaching career I studied Human Ecology as an undergrad and Forestry and Environmental Studies in graduate school. I spent several years working as a forester in New York City before returning to Cambridge. I currently teach introductory biology, AP Environmental Science and a course called Food, Farming and Our Planet. I also run a Fiber Arts Club for students and am more than a little obsessed with our school’s composting program.

ART AND SPECIAL ED EDUCATOR

I have taught for Community High School of Vermont, a high school for Vermont adult prisoners, for the past 15 years. This is where many of the Emotionally/Behaviorally Disabled students that I was trained to teach tend to spend some time. I have taught just about every subject to these students, including Literature. This has included a few goes at Bartleby, as well as one complete in-class reading of Moby Dick. Here in Vermont I enjoy nordic skiing, gravel biking, and gardening which tends toward farming. I love Moby Dick. It’s a rich and varied fountain of so much, new and fresh upon each return to it. I am completely enraptured by its sprawling form, ecstatic language, and continuing artistic and political relevance. Through my participation in this Institute I hope to gain momentum for teaching more Melville, as well as to clarify some of my ideas for a Moby Dick art project which I once began but has lain dormant for many years..

ENGLISH TEACHER

Greetings, fellow Melville folk! My name is Gail Holland and I live in Worcester, Massachusetts where I teach English to freshmen and seniors at Worcester Technical High School. When I’m not teaching school, I’m out walking in the woods, swimming, reading, creating clothing for myself and others, or watching movies. In the summer I work at a local farm as a general farm-hand. I’ve never participated in an NEH Institute before, but I’m such a fan of Moby Dick (I read it just about every year), that I just HAD to apply. I’m looking forward to “meeting” all of you this summer.

ENGLISH TEACHER

I hail from New Bedford, MA (opening locale in Moby Dick). For the past several years I’ve taught English, writing, and literature in a variety of settings, including high school, higher education, and private tutoring. My other passion is theatre, and I cannot wait for the day when I can participate in it (fully) once again. When I’m not grading and lesson planning into the wee hours, I enjoy spending time with my loved ones, listening to The Office on repeat, walking around downtown, or gorging on pastries from The Baker on Pleasant St. I’m looking forward to sharing in this enriching learning experience with all of you!

ELA TEACHER

Sally has taught ELA in the Olean City School District for the past 22 years. Currently she teaches English 11 and English 12 sections, and she also adjuncts in the Education Department at St. Bonaventure University. She is a past-president of the New York State English Council and former assistant editor of The English Record. She and her husband have four daughters and two grandsons. Their youngest daughter, Grace, is graduating from high school this year and plans to attend Niagara University in the fall to study Theatre and English. Sally’s favorite authors are Mo Yan, Charles Portis, and Alison Lurie.

SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHER

I have been teaching Social Studies at Plymouth (MA) South High School for the past 15 years. I teach, or have taught, courses in World History, US History, Economics, Criminal Justice, and Civil War Leadership. I currently live in Swansea, MA with my wife and my 7 year old son. I enjoy golfing, reading, watching films, and spending time with friends and family. I am very much looking forward to working with everybody here this summer.

EDUCATOR & WRITER

I am an educator, writer, avid reader and most importantly, father. I have spent the last 9 years teaching students in Boston history and social studies through an anti-colonial lens. If I didn’t have to work I’d adopt a racoon and see if we could inhabit the same space without it destroying the house.

EDUCATOR & ADVENTURER

Never on a stove boat, Deborah Cordonnier knows little about whaling but longs for the adventure. Born in New Jersey and transplanted to the Midwest, Ms. Cordonnier returned to the Garden State where she continued her studies and teaching. Having completed a few educational journeys, she has tiptoed in the cultures of Europe and Asia but hungers to encounter the South Seas and other true places. An educator by trade, Cordonnier aspires to instill in students, friends, and family, a comparable love for taking risks, learning from failure, and savoring the beauty and sanctity of life in spite of its perils.