Page 26 - Priorities #46 2010-March/April

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W Mr.Olcott Q&A with Cory Olcott
What are some of your teaching goals for your students? Great question. High school is such an important time for intellectual growth, de- veloping study habits, enhancing communication skills, etc. When students leave my classroom, I want them to feel confident in their writing skills and in their ability to read and analyze literature. Of course, I would also hope that they would dis- cover at least a book or author they love.
When/how did you discover your love for the written word? Watching my kids read made mereflectonmyfirstmemoryofreading. Hailey walks around with her nose in a book all the time; for as long as I can remember, I’ve loved to read. Hardy Boys, Encyclopedia Brown, The Narnia books, the Tolkein trilogy...
What classes do you love teaching the most
and why? Well here’s a question fraught with peril: is there a good an- swer? Onlykidding. Eachclassisdifferent,andeachoffersitsownre- wards. Thefreshmenshowsomuchgrowthintheirwritingandthink- ing;Ilovetoseetherapiddevelopment. Theupperclassmenoftenhave sophisticatedideasandanalysesthatdrivefascinatingdiscussions. And they get my sense of humor.
In addition to teaching, what other collateral duties do you perform? Water polo. Most of my time is with the Stanford women’s andthePalygirlsteams. WehavejustresurrectedtheMiddleSchool polo team here and Priory, and I’m excited to build a program for our students.
Outside of class, what are your interests, hobbies, etc? My fam- ily. Mywife,AllisonMnookin,Haileywhoiseight,andEliwhoisfive. We love to ski, go camping, play tennis, and have movie night on the weekends.
What are 3-5 books that you would recommend students (and parents) should read and why? Depends on the age. There are a number of books I’ve really enjoyed that would probably not be appro- priateforallstudents(e.g.,Middlesex). ManypeoplepointtoUlyssesas themostimportantworkofthelasthundredyears. Hamletwouldalso qualifysimplyforthenumberofquoteswehearrepeated. However,I ampartialtoOscarWilde. AndoneofmychildhoodfavoriteswasA Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle.
The Socratic
What book have you taught recently that really had an impact on students and why? The freshmen seemed to have had fun with The Kite Runner. KatieHendersonpickedthisoneoutafew years ago, and it has been a consistent favorite.
How would you describe your approach to the study of literature? Books should be fun. Af- terall,they’restories,notproblemsets. Themore sophisticated the book, the more time we spend unlockingit,likeapuzzle. Howisitputtogether? What is the author trying to say? The hardest part for some is the writing of which we do quite a bit and which is inextricably connected to the texts. With a little practice, though, our students figure out that a paper is just their ideas organized more clearly.
What will you be teaching next fall? Next se- mester will be the same as this year: freshman lit, ap lit, and film & lit. The year after I’m thinking about doing a course on villains (looking at the different archetypes from Greek mythology through Dracula up to
Hannibal Lecter.
How would you describe your teaching style? Lots of Socratic method. Oneofthegreataspectsofteachingliteratureisthebreadth ofpossibleinterpretationsofthematerial. Ireallyenjoyhearingwhat studentshavetosayindiscussions. Theyalwaysamazemewiththeir insights. Variationsonthisincludegroupworkwherestudentsgenerate their own ideas and move away from my influence.
What were early influences shaping your career and personal development? Not sure I have all that much personal development topointto. Again,I’monlyjoking. I’mfortunatetohaveknownsome wonderfulpeoplewhohelpedshapeme. Naturallymyparentswere a huge influence. They always promoted education. Playing sports, especially team sports, gave me a terrific group of friends and gave me an appreciation for collaborative effort, dedication, resiliency. Also, I was so tired most of the time that I (generally) stayed out of trouble. Starting with my summers in high school working as a tennis counselor at Carmel Valley Tennis Camp, I have had a passion for coaching, and this continues today.