A conversation with departing faculty

By George Pritchard, ‘23

Graphic by Liam Dwyer

During the pandemic, many jobs around the country have had to readapt to the Covid lifestyle. And one of the professions most impacted was teaching.  

This has led to an increase in teacher departures from their positions, and that movement has come to Catlin Gabel School (CGS) as well. This year, we’ve already seen multiple faculty leave the Upper School, including English teacher Krystal Wu.

Krystal Wu via Catlin Gabel

Kenny Nguyễn vía Catlin Gabel

Alex Williamson via Catlin Gabel

More faculty are planning to depart CGS at the end of the year, including Alex Williamson, Upper School science teacher, and Kenny Nguyen, Upper School math teacher. 

I sat down with them to discuss how their time at CGS went and their future plans after CGS.

What is your plan after leaving CGS?

Williamson doesn’t have a job lined up yet but is planning on teaching science at a public school in Portland.

Nguyen will be teaching math and computer science at The Webb School in Claremont, California.

Wu is working as a program associate at WestEd, a non-profit organization focusing on improving education for children. 

What influenced you to make this decision?

Williamson described a story from a faculty meeting before the start of this year that made him question his role at CGS. 

“Tim got up and gave a speech about how much money Catlin had raised for the new gym. Then immediately after that, we went into groups to discuss the main topic, which was how to make our teaching at Catlin Gabel more equitable. And I couldn’t shake the idea that we just raised all of this money to build a gym, and step number one could’ve been giving that money to people that are less fortunate.” 

He has been teaching at CGS for three years, after previously working as an environmental lawyer.

“I made this transition from being a lawyer to a teacher to do some good. The main goal is to give back to the community and I feel like I will do a better job of that teaching at a public school”

Wu identified some similar factors, questioning the role that private schools play in our society.

“The longer I worked at Catlin, the more I was like I don't know how I feel being part of an education model where families are paying for a particular kind of product. Historically and currently when families put their money into private schools, that money isn't being widely shared in the public school pool. I was starting to have some questions about my complicity in being part of the private school world.” 

Nguyen had some different motivating factors for departing CGS. 

“I’ve been at Catlin for 10 years now, so part of it was wanting to find a new adventure. I really loved living here for the past 10 years, but this perpetual rain cloud… I’m ready for some sunshine.” 

This year at CGS, we’ve already seen multiple teachers leave during the year or announce they're leaving. Why do you think that is?

Wu highlighted a couple of reasons for the faculty turnover, one of them being the CGS stress-inducing culture. 

“Catlin can be a really hard place to work. It feels like a high-pressure environment where we talk about wellness but don’t practice it very well. I feel like during lockdown we did a better job of prioritizing mental health, and when we came back in person, it felt like that didn’t continue.” 

Williamson agreed with the feelings that Wu shared.

“This is a school that will take up a lot of your free time, and if people don’t invest that free time the school ceases to be Catlin Gabel.”

Another factor that Williamson identified was the changes to teaching styles during the pandemic.

“We went from normal school to remote, to hybrid, to some students fully asynchronous and back to in person. We have been in a state of utter chaos since all of this started, and people are worn out by the amount of change.” 

Nguyen highlighted similar reasons, as well as the fact that changing jobs is natural. 

“The reality is that we [CGS faculty] are humans and are always looking for better opportunities. We’re always looking for that next thing that will grow us professionally, and sometimes that is at the place where we are, and sometimes you have to go outside of yourself.”

What was a highlight from your time at CGS?

Williamson, whose teaching experience has almost entirely been at CGS, cited watching graduation as a highlight of his time. 

“Watching my first class of students graduate…it hit me harder than I thought it would. I’ll definitely remember that. Seeing the kids I taught in the Palma class when they were ninth graders grow into their strengths has been absolutely delightful, and the thing I’m honestly most broken up about is not being able to see them graduate.”

Nguyen and Wu both shared similar sentiments about the students and faculty at CGS.

Wu said,“That set of colleagues I had are incredible human beings. I learned so much from all of them; my colleagues were awesome. And I really miss the students. I think our students are incredible, and there are some really special memories I was able to form with them.”  

What is one “area for growth” for CGS?

When contemplating areas for how the school can improve, each teacher identified equity as a place for improvement. 

“Decide where Catlin wants to take a stand as a school,” Wu said. “What kind of school does Catlin Gabel really want to be, and can we be brave enough to authentically own that and move forward with that vision? Right now, our school tries to be everything to everyone, and it ends up being nothing to anyone. Who is Catlin Gabel really, and can we champion that answer going forward.”

“It is a priority of the school, but I think we have a long way to go in our DEI work, and I see opportunities for growth in both faculty and students,” Nguyen said. “We as teachers need to give you all motivation for why this stuff is important, and we need to do a better job of explaining that’s part of the literacy you’re going to need in this world. I sometimes hear students questioning the importance of DEI work, and I’d like you all to be able to disrupt that conversation amongst yourselves.”

Each teacher shared their gratitude for their time at CGS and expressed how much they are going to miss it. 

“I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity here,” Williamson said. “It’s been a privilege to teach at CGS, and it’s definitely something I’m going to miss.”