Getting to Know You: Ms. Elly Smith, English Teacher

9/1/2016

The Bishop’s English Department welcomes Ms. Elly Smith this fall.

The Bishop’s English Department welcomes Ms. Elly Smith this fall. Ms. Smith is teaching middle school English, and is already loving feeling like part of the School community. In New York City, she taught middle school English at Harlem Academy and the New York City Department of Education. Her bachelor of arts degree in English literature and history is from Franklin and Marshall College, and her master of education degree in English is from Syracuse University.

To get to know Ms. Smith, we asked her a few questions:

What was your first impression of the Bishop’s community?

Wow, my first impression of the Bishop’s community…warm, caring, intelligent, supportive, friendly.

What do you love most about teaching?

I love when I see students push their thinking about a topic to a place where they have never been before which results in an “a-ha” moment. I also love seeing students engage in thoughtful discourse about a range of topics.

What is your greatest accomplishment?

I am not sure that it has happened yet. But I am proud of driving here from New Jersey and making the leap to living in California. I am really proud of being here at Bishop’s as well.

Who is your hero and/or mentor?

My mentor here is Ms. Kara Crawford, and she is awesome. My personal hero was Dr. Oliver Sacks, and I continue to be inspired by him and his unique view of the world.

What’s on your bucket list?

Lots of traveling and finishing my book.

If you could travel in time, what time period would you visit and why?

1920s Paris - there are so many people that I would love to talk to!

If you had to sing karaoke, which song would you select?

“Take on me” by A-ha or “I can’t feel my face” by The Weeknd.

What’s your biggest pet peeve?

My biggest pet peeves are slow drivers who don’t use their blinkers and when gum chewers stick their used gum under the table or throw it on the ground.

What are the last book(s) you read?

Charlie Chan is Dead and The Outsiders for my seventh grade class.

Who was your favorite teacher in school and why?

My favorite teacher in school was my seventh grade science teacher, Mrs. Kinkle. She was super nice and always made learning interesting. She also had an awesome classroom filled with pets, experiments and other cool things. I always looked forward to her class.

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