It is with great excitement that Hackley announces two Teaching Fellows to begin July 1, 2021!

Jenny Leffler P ’20 ‘22, Shannon MacDonald P ‘30 ’34, and Cyndy Jean P ’34 will lead Hackley’s Teaching Fellowship in partnership with Dave Sykes, Director of the Hudson Scholars. Hackley’s Teaching Fellowship is a program which seeks to mentor early career teachers as they transition from college and graduate school programs into the field.  Each Fellow will have the opportunity to sit in on various classes and departments across the school, receive professional development and mentorship from Hackley teachers, and receive career counseling as they prepare to move into the field of education. To learn more about the Fellowship, please visit our Redefining Excellence webpage.

Hackley School

This year’s Fellows join us from New York University and Amherst College:

Erin Dockery joins Hackley School as a recent graduate of New York University Steinhardt School with a masters in teaching in secondary education. When asked about her interest in teaching, Erin speaks highly of her time at Western Reserve Academy noting how a “close-knit” community can have a lasting impact on students.  As a recent teaching resident at Lincoln Middle School, a school in the Syracuse School District, Erin has collaborated with a mentor teacher to design lesson plans and oversee curriculum development. Erin’s mentor describes her as “eager to learn” and “always open to feedback.” During her interviews, it was evident that Erin was looking for a place to grow as a teacher, refining her focus on creating “equitable classrooms” and “culturally-responsive teaching.” Among Erin’s many interests is her passion for running. She expresses an interest in coaching young athletes and has in years past dedicated her time to participate in races that raise funds for young adults with cancer. 

A senior at Amherst College, Abigail Offei-Addo is excited about the Fellowship because she is interested in comparative education. As a young woman who was homeschooled throughout her life, and as a former intern with Ghana’s National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA), Abigail has developed a curiosity for how schools are structured and how they help to shape the path children take. As an English major, she has worked with the education program at Amherst to design an independent study on “Black children’s rights to education” in Cincinnati, and she is keenly interested in the use of graphic novels to teach English as evidenced by her senior thesis on “Webtoon.” Abigail is described as a “serious student” with a true desire to learn — “it’s never about the grade.” Of the Teaching Fellowship, Abigail writes, “Hackley’s commitment to cultivating character, scholarship, and accomplishment aligns with my own hopes for students. Providing the next generation with tools for lifelong learning and with values of integrity and honesty will allow them to succeed beyond the classroom. Contributing to this effort will be a joy and I am eager to work towards these goals with other fellows, teachers, and students.”

We look forward to welcoming Erin and Abigail to Hackley!