Sam Denious has been teaching Spanish in Gilman's Upper School for the last two years as part of the Penn Fellows residency. But the question he sought to answer for his master's program inquiry project isn't really about language at all.

Denious studied Spanish language and literature as well as environmental studies at Bowdoin College. Having many teachers in his family — his mother as well as three of his grandparents — he always knew he would join them in the profession.

"Maestranza: Cultivating Personality in the Language Classroom," the title of his inquiry project, explores what students take away from a language class that isn't about language at all. Denious wanted to know how he could make the classroom "a communal atmosphere where we use learning the language to show more of ourselves."

He focused the inquiry on his ninth grade honors class, which included many students who were more on the quiet side. "The point of the project," Denious said, "was to help them show personality, expression, creativity, and a sense of humor." He worked on these skills with the boys through performance-based activities and assessments, including skits, videos, presentations, and classroom communication exercises that placed the language they were learning in context. "It took a while, but now they are not only really comfortable with speaking in Spanish; they are more comfortable speaking in general."

Denious was mentored by French teacher Clare Lincoln, who Denious said "was helpful in showing me not just how to teach but how to teach language." She also helped him understand the Gilman environment and advocated for him when needed. "I can't say enough about how great a mentor and resource she's been to me."

Though Denious will be taking a sabbatical next year — as a fly fishing guide in Wyoming and then as a ski patrol in Colorado — he is confident he will get back to teaching one day.

Becoming a teacher had crossed Will Jackson's mind before but it wasn't a foregone conclusion. He majored in political science at the University of Maryland, followed by a three-month stint working for the Maryland General Assembly. When that role was eliminated at the start of the pandemic, he found a job teaching sixth grade geography and English at Severn School in Severna Park, Maryland. "That's where I fell in love with teaching," Jackson said.

For the last two years, he has brought that devotion to Gilman as a Penn Fellow, teaching seventh grade language arts. At first, he was hesitant about teaching at an all-boys school. "I thought it might be toxic or overly masculine," he remembered. But ultimately he found the environment to be warm and the boys to be gentle and sweet.

His inquiry project poses the question: How can I use literature to guide my students towards developing critical consciousness? Through his efforts, he found that essay writing proved to be "the most fruitful data point" for observing his students use critical thinking. He also noticed that the more he included real-life examples in his teaching, the more the students could relate to the material.

His final, and perhaps most significant conclusion: "Joy is essential to my teaching." Jackson makes it a point to play music in the background of his classroom, and he lets the students joke around, laugh, and talk about whatever is on their minds (sometimes it's which Gatorade flavor is best) without interfering or immediately getting them back on track with the lesson. "Joy is really what school is about. I try to promote that and enhance it."

He was mentored by language arts teacher Nick Platt, who Jackson said was thoughtful and organized. "He showed me the path of how to be at Gilman. I don't think the School could have picked a better mentor for me."

Next year, Jackson is pleased to join Gilman's full-time Middle School faculty. He will also be part of the coaching staff for varsity and JV football, as well as Middle School basketball and baseball.

Denious and Jackson wish to extend a big thank you to Brian Ledyard, who was the program director during their first year as Penn Fellows, and to Matt Zealand and Beth Knapp, who are the current program co-directors, for their guidance and leadership.

And congratulations to both Denious and Jackson, who will soon complete their master's in education from the University of Pennsylvania.

photos from Penn Fellows Reception on May 9, 2024