By Dean Koenig (V)
Mr. Dennis Pearlstein has written and directed fantastic plays and musicals over his time at Pingry, but most importantly, he has taught and mentored the students here since 2007. After 13 years, he is departing from Pingry.
Mr. Pearlstein began his career as a teacher in 1971 after earning his Bachelor of Arts degree and his Master of Fine Arts degree at Columbia University. He then taught English for 20 years at the Calhoun School in New York City before joining the faculty at Pingry. When Mr. Pearlstein first arrived at Pingry, he was a sixth grade teacher. At the time, this grade was based on an interdisciplinary curriculum for English and History, which he taught for four years before becoming a high school teacher in 2011.
Ever since his arrival, Mr. Pearlstein has greatly enjoyed working with his students each day. He admires their intelligence and creativity when working on projects or essays, also noting that they are incredible observers of art, always finding new ways to connect art to literature. “I think my students are also adventurous in exploring new ways of writing,” he adds. “They like the challenge, and they meet the challenge.”
When asked what he will miss most about Pingry, Mr. Pearlstein did not hesitate to mention his students and colleagues. “The students here are absolutely wonderful,” he answered. He added, “[The teachers] work with a purpose here to offer bright students a high degree of challenging material. I hope that will always be the case.”
In the future, Mr. Pearlstein wishes to keep his hand in the field of education. He plans to tutor students and possibly become a docent at a museum, working in its educational division. In terms of Pingry’s future, he hopes the students will continue to treasure one another and enjoy being in an environment where they have the potential to achieve excellence. We wish Mr. Pearlstein the best of luck in the years to come!