BetterLesson Interviews Jamie Fritz on Teaching

Jamie Fritz teaches 7th grade Writing at Chavez Prep in Washington, D.C.  His administrators nominated his as a Featured Teacher.

Here is our interview with him:

1. Three words that describe your teaching persona:
Goofy, strict, energetic

2. Why teach?
I like the intersection of serious thought and performance art that teaching offers.

3. What would you be if not a teacher?
Graduate student in philosophy

4. What do you do to optimize student engagement in class?
Silliness. Wearing strange hats, telling jokes, jumping around at unexpected moments, etc.

5. Coffee, tea, or caffeine-free?
Caffeine-free

6. Favorite Cartoon/TV/Movie Teacher:
Robin Williams in "Dead Poets Society"--though I don't teach anything at all like him.

7. Favorite Book:
Crime and Punishment