The newest member of Poly’s English department, Emn Haddad-Friedman, is familiarizing herself with the Poly community and continues to improve her teaching methods.
If you were to enter the Poly Prep English Department office, you’d notice a variety of things: Posters of renowned literature ordaining the walls, books everywhere, and a diverse spread of teachers, some of whose tenure extends over thirty-five years, according to Poly’s website. Here, you will find the newest member of Poly’s English Department, Emn Haddad-Friedman, who joined in the fall of 2024. She currently teaches two classes of ninth-grade World Literature and an eleventh and twelfth-grade elective, Dystopias: The Broken Earth.
Haddad-Friedman received her bachelor’s degree in Asian Studies with a concentration in early Japanese literature and history and minored in flamenco dance at Bard College. When reflecting on her college career, Haddad-Friedman said, “I had no idea what I was doing with my life… I am teaching now, and I love it.” She explored different interests after college and began teaching in Spain while instructing dance. She eventually returned to Bard and received her master’s degree in teaching. “Bard had one of the biggest impacts [on me]… Bard has a specific way of teaching around giving students autonomy, choice, and informal writing, and that’s what you see in my classroom,” said Haddad-Friedman.
Over the past seventeen years, Haddad-Friedman has had a wide spread of work experience as an English teacher and administrator. She began in a charter school, then a public school, and then spent the next eleven years at Prospect Schools when it was first founded and helped build their English department. When reflecting on lessons learned from these experiences, Haddad-Friedman said, “Everyone has the right to an education, everybody is capable of accomplishing amazing things with the right support and expectations.” While at Prospect Schools, she helped develop the International Baccalaureate (IB) for all programs. According to the IB website, this initiative provides equal opportunity for all students to participate in a two-year college diploma program.
Haddad-Friedman’s move to Poly was fueled by her desire to return to the classroom. “In my last year at Prospect, I was entirely an administrator. I missed the students. Students are part of why you do the job.” Peter Nowakoski, Chair of the English Department, played a key role in hiring Haddad-Friedman at Poly. When describing her attributes, Nowakoski said, “She is very committed to her professional growth, practice as a teacher, and her knowledge.” Another benefit she brings to the community is her unique training, using qualitative data to assess students, as it facilitates a holistic analysis of classes. “She comes from a heavy data-driven background, collecting numerical, quantitative data about students. We tend to be relational and it is essential to Poly, but quantitative data is the other side. She’s helping us do that,” said Nowakoski. Her experience with the IB program also made her an appealing candidate. “Even though [Poly] is not an IB school, the insight that it brings is another benefit for students and how she teaches them,” said Nowakoski.
Her teaching style also appealed to Nowakoski, as it centers around discussion and free writing. “I prefer to facilitate conversation and discussion. I am interested in getting my students to think and figure out answers for themselves.” Her ninth-grade students recognize the benefits of this approach. “She wants to hear about our perspectives and asks us a lot of questions,” said Jillian Mora, a member of her ninth-grade World Literature class. “She wants our feedback to make sure everyone has a great understanding of what we are doing.”
Haddad-Friedman used this semester to familiarize herself with Poly students and improve her future classes. “Everyone is in a different place at Poly,” she said. “People’s quality of ideas is strong. There is a lot of thoughtfulness when people are reading and thinking, but there is less confidence in writing…so I am adding more writing support next time around.”
Haddad-Friedman’s new elective, Dystopias: The Broken Earth, expands upon the English department’s great books curriculum, which teaches one book with several volumes over a semester, such as Moby Dick. “It is a science fiction trilogy, an allegory for the oppression of marginalized works in our country, written in a cool setting with a gripping story,” said Haddad-Friedman. This eleventh and twelfth-grade semester-long elective will be offered again in the spring, with nineteen students already enrolled. “[It is] important to have the ability to focus closely over an extended time on one subject, one book,” said Nowakoski. “[The elective] is focused on maintaining discipline and intensive inquiry, which is an important skill.” It will also foster students’ engagement in reading. “The students will be more interested and engaged if they see a passionate teacher teaching something they are passionate about, and [Haddad-Friedman] loves those books. They are long, intense books, but it has been a great experience,” said Nowakoski. This model is prompting a new elective at Poly with a similar format, centered around Junie by Erin Crosby Eckstein, which will be coming out in February 2025, according to Barnes and Noble.
When discussing her future aspirations, Haddad-Friedman said, “I am going to be at Poly next year, but I am taking a minute and a breath. Rather than trying to make a plan, I am trying to see where things go.” She is also interested in the incoming leadership at Poly, “I know things are changing next year with a new Head of School. I am curious to see where things are going next year, and see where I fit into that puzzle.”
