1 of 4
Photographs by Matthew O’Shea
2 of 4
3 of 4
4 of 4
Mr. Bill Rowe and Ojoyi Agbo
Thomas Jefferson School
While Bill Rowe became Thomas Jefferson’s head of school in 2000—he’s been there 41 years—he still tries to teach at least one course per semester. Right now that’s Calculus, which he calls “a springboard for how math is used in the real world in physics and chemistry and economics.” Among his current students: senior Ojoyi Agbo (pronounced OH-joy AG-bow), a St. Louis native whose parents are from Nigeria. “I’ve always liked math,” she says. “It takes a lot of concentration, but once you get it, you get it.” Rowe says that his class may be numbers-based, but there’s a lot of discussion. “I’m calling around the room to get the students to produce the next steps and explain the reasons why,” he says. Ojoyi smiles and offers a knowing nod: “He’s good at making sure everyone participates.”
Dr. Judy Anderson and Katie Doyle
Ursuline Academy
What kind of student is senior Katie Doyle? “I’m always in the front row,” she says. “I ask a lot of questions, which helps me to understand the material better.” The material this semester: Honors Physics with Judy Anderson, who’s been teaching physics at Ursuline since there was physics at Ursuline—1985, specifically. “When I first started,” Anderson says, “I loved the subject so much that I wasn’t as cognizant of my students’ desires or abilities to learn. As I became more experienced, I learned to be of more service and to be aware of the whole student—not just the one sitting in my classroom. I think the key is that I love my subject, but I love my students more.”
Dr. Mark Smith and Jessen O’Brien
John Burroughs School
Senior Jessen O’Brien has been a student of Mark Smith’s three times over the past five years—first in American Government, then in U.S. History and currently in Bio-Ethics. “Jessen is one of the students,” Smith says, “who when she leaves eighth grade, you say, ‘I want to teach her again junior year, when we can really start having conversations.’” They’re having them now, on subjects ranging from stem cells to chemical weapons to journalism (Smith advises the student paper, which Jessen co-edits). “Dr. Smith will split us into two teams, and we’ll have to debate an issue from a side that may not be our own,” she says. “You have to know and respect all these different arguments and understand where people are coming from. It’s a lot more than some teachers ask for, but it’s a great thing to do.”
Ms. Aisha Sharif and Michael Jordan
Whitfield School
In Aisha Sharif’s Advanced Seminar in Literature and Composition, students develop their skills at both reading and writing. “I’m a huge fan of being interactive with students,” says Sharif, who uses free-writing, poetry-slamming and playacting to engage them. “I like diving in deep without knowing exactly what’s going to happen.” Senior Michael Jordan says that the class has just started Hamlet. “I’ve never really been into Shakespeare,” he admits, “but today we got to start acting it out. It was fun. It makes something that can be difficult to learn enjoyable.”
