Hillsdale K-12 schools are filled with talented teachers who are dedicated to their craft, possess a deep knowledge of the content they teach, and model the wisdom and virtue we seek to cultivate within our students. Each year, a small cohort of teachers who are particularly distinguished in the art of teaching are honored as Master Teachers and serve as an extension of the Hillsdale K-12 Office. These are teachers who lead within their own schools, coming alongside teachers who are new to the curriculum and sharing insights into effective pedagogy. They are learners too—teachers who practice good storytelling, asking thoughtful questions, and continually diving deeper into the content and curriculum they teach.
Observing their classrooms is a delight for new and experienced educators alike, because their lessons are both serious and joyful, holding the content and their students with the highest regard. The K-12 Office provides opportunities for these teachers to share their experience beyond their classrooms. Master Teachers host remote training sessions, ranging from topics such as classroom management to effective assessments and best practices in instruction. They share sample teaching resources, speak at our summer conference, and provide a glimpse into their classrooms through videos of model lessons.
You’ll get a glimpse into their classrooms here as well. Our Master Teachers are contributing authors to The Classical Classroom, so you’ll see them here over the course of the year. You can also learn more about them on the K-12 Hillsdale website by viewing their bios here, but let me briefly introduce you.
Mr. John Punt teaches Music at Seven Oaks Classical School in Indiana. His choral work and solo studies have given him a repertoire of several hundred works in 38 languages, and he’s especially skilled at teaching music to multiple grades and mentoring new teachers as they navigate our rich music curriculum.
Ms. Abigail Teska also teaches at Seven Oaks Classical School and is a Master Teacher of Art. She combines her expertise in art history with instruction in art technique and runs a remarkably smooth classroom.
Mrs. Lyna Heaton is an expert in teaching literacy, has years of experience in the first-grade classroom, and currently serves as the Dean of Academics at St. Johns Classical Academy in Florida.
Mrs. Emily Williams is a Master Teacher of science and is currently the Upper School Faculty Chair at Treasure Valley Classical Academy in Idaho. Her love of science and experience teaching in New York City public schools converge beautifully as she offers rich content and high expectations within her classroom.
Dr. Natalie Trevino teaches literature, language, and rhetoric at Seven Oaks Classical School. She is the Humanities Department Chair and has a particular gift for making ancient literature come to life for ninth-grade students.
Mr. Sam Clausen teaches calculus and leads the math department at Atlanta Classical Academy. Though he primarily teaches in the upper school, he’s known to spend his free time in the kindergarten classrooms playing math games.
Mr. Steven Battaglia is a Master Teacher of Latin and offers a wealth of insight into classical pedagogy. He teaches Latin and history at Seven Oaks Classical School where he serves as Assistant Headmaster of the Upper School.
Mr. Matt Nolan is a sixth-grade teacher at Hillsdale Academy where he teaches every academic subject ranging from mathematics to literature and history. He returned to his hometown of Hillsdale after teaching sixth and seventh grade in Texas and enjoys coaching soccer at Hillsdale Academy.
And finally, Ms. Jenny Mulvey, fourth-grade teacher at Golden View Classical Academy in Colorado, shares her vast experience in teaching all content areas in lower school. She particularly loves teaching literature and science.
We trust you’ll enjoy reading their posts over the course of the year. They embody an American liberal education.
