Eliza Tyack

Eliza Tyack is a new English teacher at Brookline High School. She grew up in Massachusetts but moved away to upstate New York for college. While in college, she wanted to be a cognitive science major until she discovered the power of English. This summer she spent a lot of time with her ninety-year-old grandmother. She is excited to be part of the Brookline community and be back home in Massachusetts.

What is something you always remember when you are in the classroom?

That’s a good question. I always try to remember I don’t know what people are bringing into the classroom, even just emotionally, and I don’t know where everyone is coming from that day.

Was there anything you were nervous about when coming to BHS?

I think just the regular nerves that come with being in a new environment. Actually just a note on friendliness, when I came for my interview I was completely lost and actually Anthony Meyer the headmaster was like, “Hey can I help you, can I get you anything?” So he was the first person I met and I didn’t know who he was. Oh! That’s another thing I was nervous for, getting lost. People say it’s a rectangle or a square. It’s definitely confusing.

What is your favorite book to teach and why?

I think that I like teaching “To Kill A Mockingbird” a lot, just because I think it’s so important and the conversation around it has evolved so much as our country has grown since that time.  I find every time I reread it I get something else out of it.

What is the hardest and most rewarding part about being a teacher?

I think the hardest thing is it’s a job that you take home with you. A lot of jobs that are 9-5 you work and come home and stop thinking about it. I think that teaching is something where you are staying up late at night worrying about kids. You take home grading, and you are constantly thinking about conversations and what you want to be bringing into discussions. So I think sometimes it can kind of overwhelm your life a little bit.  On the flip side, I think it’s so rewarding that it’s like the kind of work I want to be doing, so I think there is just a balance.