Michelle Koffler, Sciences
BIO: Born and raised in Brooklyn, Michelle Koffler received a Bachelor of Science in Geology from Brooklyn College, followed by two Masters degrees in Adolescent and Middle Childhood Science Education from the same school. While at Brooklyn College, she received a number of award scholarships, including the Geology Training Scholarship and the Jewish Foundation for Education of Women MAT Program Scholarship Grant.
As an undergrad, she was also selected to join the Teacher Academy, a scholarship program designed to train college students to become math and science teachers. This program allowed Ms. Koffler to get an early, hands-on approach to teaching science before she even began student teaching. Since receiving her Bachelor’s, Ms. Koffler taught middle and high school science in New York City public schools for seven years before joining Mazel Day School in 2016. A proud member of the Planetary Society, Ms. Koffler lives by the following two quotes from her favorite science educators (even though one is fictional):
“Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don’t.” - Bill Nye
“Take chances! Make mistakes! Get messy!” - Ms. Frizzle from The Magic School Bus
I became a teacher because… I got the teaching bug early on when I realized I enjoyed helping my classmates out with their homework and upcoming exams. Seeing that light bulb turn on in people’s eyes, that “Aha!” moment, is what I enjoy most about teaching. Teaching science in particular leads to many of those moments. Questioning, understanding, and deepening our appreciation and love for the world around us, and spreading that understanding, joy, and love of science to others, is my unabashed passion.
My vision for our children is… I hope to see each Mazel student grow to become kind, caring, thoughtful Jews and citizens of the world.
I joined Mazel because… Having spent so many years teaching students in the public school system, I missed the immersive Jewish environment (outside of my friends and family). Teaching in a Jewish school feels different - it awakens the soul in a way that does not happen so easily in other environments. Seeing students at Mazel grow and learn as scientists, as individuals, as citizens, and as Jews has been truly worthwhile and wonderful to watch.
My most favorite memory from being a student is… I always enjoyed the moments within a lesson where our teachers connected to our class as people, not just students. Hearing stories about their youth and family lives helped enrich our school experience.
The difficult part of teaching Middle School is… Middle school is a time when a lot of changes happen for students: physical, emotional, and psychological. Sometimes these changes happen abruptly, sometimes gradually, but it is always a process for students - and their parents and teachers - to deal with, so I try my best to help students navigate this sometimes difficult period in their lives.
My best advice to parents is…. Let your kids explore and ask questions. It's okay if you don't know all the answers to those questions: you can learn more and discover the answers together.
If I could teach my students only thing, it would be... to be kind. Kindness and caring are, to me, more important than memorizing a list of facts and definitions.
If I would not have become a teacher I would have become… It's very hard to imagine myself as anything but a teacher, since I have wanted to be one for so long, but, if I HAD to choose another job, I would probably choose something else in the education field, such as tutoring or writing curriculum.
A trick I use in the classroom is... I may have borrowed the idea from Ms. Frizzle (of The Magic School Bus), but I love to wear outfits that relate to topics that students are currently learning. If students see that I'm passionate enough about a subject to want to wear it, then they start to get excited about it, too.
Outside of school I like to... I enjoy spending time with my friends and family, traveling, collecting rocks and minerals, and attending conventions such as New York Comic Con.
